Dark, Dangerous and Lovin' It
by Demonyca
Summary: Stefan's a ripper, Elena wants to fix him, Klaus is directing from afar, Michael comes to play and the Originals aren't what they seem. And Damon's stuck in the middle of it all. A new player joins the game who just might change all the rules. Damon/OC
1. Prologue

**A/N: I know I have a ton of other stories going but I've had a fixation ever since I read another awesome story where the author mentioned that Damon deserved to be the first choice, not second choice after his brother. I'm also getting kind of irritated at Elena and how she uses Damon. It feels like she's using his feelings for her and his brother to manipulate him and then turns around and acts like the poor little angel. Yes, I'm kind of irritated with her at the moment which is why I came up with this. **

* * *

><p>"Mother!" Syn screamed at the top of her lungs as she barged into her mother's throne room.<p>

"Would you please stop screaming? My hearing is just fine," her mother said, her head bent over as she studied the screen of an iPad.

"Dad has finally gone insane!" Syn exclaimed.

"You just figured that out?" her mother asked, her tone of voice so calm it irritated Syn beyond belief.

"Would you please pay attention?" Syn growled. "He has really, really lost it this time."

Her mother sighed and looked up. Her eyes widened, looking at her daughter in shock. "What the hell are you wearing? And what happened to your hair?" she exclaimed.

Syn looked at her mother, gaping. Her father was going insane and her mother was worried about her clothes? "What does that have to do with anything?" she snapped. At her mother's cocked eyebrow, she looked down at herself and couldn't stifle a laugh. She had completely forgotten. She was wearing a pink, fluffy cashmere sweater, a pink and black checkered skirt that ended mid-calf, a pair of white ankle socks and tennis shoes.

"I thought I looked cute," she said. Her mother rolled her eyes.

"And you wonder why he's going nuts," her mother said with a smile. Her daughter's sense of humor was legendary. "I must say the blonde hair and the pig tails are a nice touch."

"It irritates the snot out of him," Syn said with a laugh. "I can't help it. It's just too funny. You should have seen his face. He almost had an apoplectic fit when he saw me."

"I'm not surprised. But could you please change? You really are ruining my reputation."

"Oh, fine. Buzz-kill," she said under her breath. Moments later, her clothing had morphed into a pair of faded, torn jeans, a gothic inspired black corset that cinched her waist and made her impressive cleavage even more awe-inspiring. A pair of black stilettos graced her feet and a black lace choker circled her slim neck. Her hair had reverted back to her natural mane of black with bright red streaks and hung down in waves to the top of her buttocks.

"Better?" she asked.

"Much," her mother replied as she looked her over. "You're still wearing that thing?" she asked, gesturing to the polished titanium hand jewelry that adorned Syn's right hand. It was a delicate but menacing piece, with an intricate design and thin chains that connected to claws affixed to each fingertip. It had been a gift, one she cherished greatly. And one that had come in handy on more occasions than she cared to remember.

"Well, with everyone trying to overthrow dad, it does come in handy," she said with a wicked grin. Her mother rolled her eyes.

"And you need that to protect yourself?" her mother asked skeptically.

"I've got a few daggers stashed here and there," she said pointing to herself, "but I like getting up close and personal."

"You do like doing things the hard way," her mother huffed. "So, what's this about your father?"

"I think he must be snorting brimstone. I'm telling you that he's fried the last neurons that had any semblance of sanity. He wants me to go to some backwater dump of a town to protect some high school chick for whatever stupid reason!" Syn said, her voice increasing in volume. "He actually wants me to go to high school!" she spat the words out.

"High school?" her mother asked and burst out laughing.

"I know. Look at me. When am I ever going to pass for a high school student. For fuck's sake, I'm almost five thousand years old. I'll never pass for a teenager," she said growling.

"Watch your language," her mother said and Syn just gaped. "And you do have moments when you act like a teenager, so I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Oh no, you have to be kidding. Don't tell me you're siding with him on this."

Her mother sighed. It was time to play the role of mediator between her head strong daughter and her equally stubborn husband. "Did you ask him why he's sending you?"

"Apparently because I'm the only one he trusts," she said, making air quotation marks, "to keep the girl alive."

"Well, that's probably true, you know," her mother said. Syn sighed. She didn't have a problem helping her father out. Hell, they needed to stick together. They were family after all and she did love him, just like she knew he loved her. It was the high school thing that had annoyed the crap out of her.

"I know. And I know the whole story. Hell, the girl really does need some help, considering she's a supernatural trouble magnet. And even though he won't tell me exactly what's going on, I trust him."

"So, what's the problem?"

"Mother, it's HIGH SCHOOL!"

"So, the daughter of the Morrighan and Lucifer is actually afraid of high school?" her mother asked, laughing.

"Yeah, yeah, my mother's the goddess of sex, drugs and rock'n roll and my dad's the god of the underworld and supposedly evil incarnate," she snorted. The only thing evil about her father was this fixation of his to send her to high school.

"Goddess of sex, _war_ and rock'n roll, darling," Morrighan said with a wink, making Syn laugh.

"Oh, alright. But he's going to owe me big time for this," she said.

"You might want to rethink your wardrobe a bit, darling. I don't think they'll let you in looking like that."

"Whatever," Syn grumbled in response.

"You also might want to leave Zarek here," Morrighan said, looking pointedly at the dragon tattoo that curled around Syn's bicep.

"No!" Syn said vehemently. She had never been apart from Zarek and she wasn't going to abandon him now. He was her friend, her confidant, her guard and had been with her from the day she was born. He had been a gift from her father and she'd be damned if she left him behind.

"Sweetie, I don't think sporting a huge tattoo will help you with your cover," her mother admonished gently, knowing how attached her daughter was to the dragon. "At least ask him to move to a less visible location." The tattoo started to shimmer and crawled up Syn's arm and down her torso until it disappeared from sight, underneath her clothing.

"Good boy, Zarek," Syn said with a smile. "Is that better?"

"Definitely."

"Okay, I've got to head out," Syn said, looking for all the world as if she was going to her execution.

"Bye baby."

"Bye, mom," Syn said as she turned on her heel and left.

Morrighan smiled watching her daughter walk away. She was a stubborn one, but considering her heritage, it wasn't a surprise. In fact, it was surprising how laid back she was, with all the power she wielded.

"She's just as stubborn as you," a male voice said.

"Are you sure about this Luke?" she asked the man who hid in the shadows, his emerald green eyes sparkling.

"Trust me, Morgan. It's the only way," he replied.

"Why didn't you tell her the truth?"

"Because I can't have her distracted," he said with a shrug.

"She's not a fool. I think she needs to know the full picture. If she doesn't, she could make a mistake."

When her husband simply stared at her, she narrowed her eyes. "What else is going on?"

"Nothing," he said quickly. Too quickly.

"Luke…" she said, "you know you can't lie to me. Spit it out. What have you done?"

"Well, let's just say that our darling daughter might soon be abandoning her life of one-night stands," he said with a grin.

Morrighan stared at her husband and burst out laughing. "Lucifer the matchmaker. I'm telling you, this is going to ruin your reputation."

He grinned wickedly and stalked towards her. His hand shot out, grabbing her by the wrist and pulled her to her feet. His other hand encircled her waist and pulled her flush against the hard planes of his body. She melted in his arms, desire sparking deep in her belly, even after six thousand years. She looked up at him, her gaze fixed on his full, sensuous lips.

He leaned down, his lips millimeters from hers. "Only if you tell," he whispered and crashed his lips against hers in a brutal kiss that had her aching for more in seconds.

"I might," she whispered, when they finally broke apart.

"Then I might have to punish you," he whispered in her ear, causing her to shudder.

"Promise?" she asked.

"Guaranteed," he said with a wink and a smile.


	2. Chapter 1

Syn sat perched on her red Ducati, willing herself to move but the sea of teenagers made her want to turn her bike around and roar off in the opposite direction. She could be somewhere hot, corrupting innocent minds and having mind-blowing sex. Hell, even fighting the assassins that regularly tried to end her existence seemed more fun than this. This was real torture. Seriously, her dad had nothing on the education system. He should take lessons.

She swung a leg over and stood, grabbing her backpack. She looked down at herself and shrugged. While not quite as bland as everyone else, she thought she still looked the part of a 21st century teenager. The word alone made her want to throw up. Skinny jeans, biker boots, a red tank top and a leather jacket. She drew the line at tennis shoes and pastels. Those she only wore to irritate the old man.

Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and, as a small sign of rebellion, had decided to leave it it's natural color. She wasn't worried. People would simply assume it was dyed.

Right, it was time to stop stalling. She sauntered over to the entrance to the brick-red building and saw Jeremy, her target's brother, as well as the witch they called Bonnie. Her dad had made sure she was prepared.

She walked up to them and smiled sweetly. Crap! It felt as if her face would fall off. By the semi-horrified look on their faces she hadn't really pulled the sweet bit off. Hell, she didn't do sweet. She did sarcastic, wicked, evil, lusty and a ton of other adjectives but she didn't do sweet. She gave up and plastered her normal smirk on her face.

"Sorry, been to the dentist and the facial muscles aren't really working," she said to cover her faux-pas. Right, smart! Fuck, that was such a stupid excuse. Luckily, though, they seemed to buy it and smiled at her.

"You're new, aren't you?" Jeremy asked and she nodded.

"Yup, just transferred in," from Hell, she finished the sentence in her mind. "I'm a senior."

"Me too," Bonnie said with a smile.

"I'm Jeremy Gilbert and this is my girlfriend, Bonnie Bennett," he said extending his hand.

"Syn Lucas," she replied, shaking their hands. Bonnie looked at her curiously.

"Syn?" she asked.

"Yup, it's foreign," she replied by way of explanation. My parents have a wicked sense of humor and gave me a name to match my gene pool, simply didn't seem like the right response.

"Ah, it's nice," Bonnie said with a smile. "So, what's your first class."

Syn looked at her schedule and grimaced. "History," she said.

"Great, we've got the same class so we can go together," Bonnie said with a smile. This was going to be easier than she had thought. If she could make friends with Bonnie then it wouldn't be long before she was accepted into the "inner circle." The closer she was to Elena Gilbert, the easier it would be to keep her safe.

"Thanks, that would be awesome," she said and cringed internally. Lassie. She was going to make her dad sit through a Lassie marathon for this. The bell rang and the two girls headed to class.

Bonnie took her seat and motioned Syn into the empty one next to her. "Elena," she called out as she spotted the girl walking in.

"Hey Bonnie," the other girl said happily as she kissed her friend.

"Come meet Syn," Bonnie said as she gestured towards her. "She just transferred in. Syn, this is my very best friend Elena. Oh and here comes our other best friend Caroline," she said with a squeal pointing towards a bubbly blonde who squealed in reply.

Syn stood, trying hard not to roll her eyes, and smiled at Elena. "Hi, I'm Syn," she said.

Elena's eyes widened as she looked the newcomer over but extended her hand with a shy smile. "I'm Elena. It's nice to meet you." She took a seat behind Bonnie as Caroline introduced herself to Syn and started to chatter about the bonfire that was apparently going to be held in the woods, near the Lockwood estate, that night.

"You coming, Elena?" Caroline asked. Elena nodded but didn't seem too enthusiastic. "Come on. Lighten up a bit. It'll be fun and everyone's going to be there. Syn, you're coming, right?"

"Sure," she said with a shrug. Syn never missed a party. Of course she was going to go. Especially since it would afford her a good opportunity to make nice with the teenagers and see what else lived in Mystic Falls.

Just then the door opened and in sauntered a guy with light brown hair and green eyes. He smirked at Elena who had frozen in her seat. If looks could kill, the guy would have been toast.

Syn allowed her powers to flare just a tiny bit so she could get a reading on the guy. Vampire. Interesting. And he seemed to know Elena. What was daddy dearest up to? He hadn't mentioned anything about vampires hanging around her. He'd gone on and on about Klaus the hybrid, his family, the Original witch and on and on until she had almost passed out from boredom but not once had he mentioned this vampire.

What else had he forgotten to mention? She scanned the room and discovered that Caroline was also a vampire and the one they called Tyler was a hybrid. Very interesting. Maybe high school wasn't going to be as boring as she had feared.

* * *

><p>As the day wore on, Syn focused on coming up with new ways to torture daddy dearest. She was surprised she wasn't comatose and drooling all over herself yet. Her dad could take lessons from the education system when it came to new and improved torture methods.<p>

Finally, the bell rang and Syn heaved a sigh of relief. One more class and she was out of there. Crap! She couldn't leave. She had to make nice with the kids.

"Syn, we've got a spot open on the cheerleading squad and I was wondering if you'd like to try out?" Caroline asked.

"I don't know Caroline. I'm not really into cheerleading," she said, trying to get out of it politely. Jumping around in short skirts and showing her ass to the world without getting anything in return, like a good fuck, at the end was not her idea of spending her time productively.

"Please," Caroline begged, her eyes wide, her face so hopeful that Syn found herself agreeing. It would have felt like kicking a puppy if she had said no.

"Alright. But I'm only trying out," she warned. Caroline squealed excitedly.

"Sorry," Elena whispered, coming up by the side of her. "Caroline really gets excited about stuff like that."

"It's okay. I don't mind," Syn said with a shrug.

"Caroline might seem shallow, but she's a real good friend. You'll see. She'll grow on you," Elena said with a small smile.

"So does mold," Syn said under her breath but apparently not quietly enough because Elena laughed. A masculine bark of laughter also sounded and both girls turned to stare at the green-eyed vampire.

"Let's go," Elena said, grabbing hold of Syn and dragging her out of the classroom.

"Okay, so you're not friends, I take it," Syn said with a laugh.

"Sorry," Elena said, her face falling. "He's my ex-boyfriend and is currently a pain in the ass." Ex-boyfriend. Okay.

"Don't worry. It must suck having your ex in the same class," Syn said.

"You have no idea. Plus, he thinks I need his protection for whatever reason and he drives me insane. He won't leave me alone for a second," the girl growled in annoyance, though her voice held an undercurrent of pain. This was getting more and more interesting.

"Well, if you want to ditch him, I'm thinking we should probably get out of here."

"Yeah, you're right. You have tryouts and I have to get some training in," Elena said.

"Training?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I've started taking some self-defense classes and I was told I need to get stronger. So, I've been training," Elena said with a shrug as she started walking towards the girls changing room.

Elena changed into a pair of leggings and a racer-back tank while Syn looked on. She didn't have any clothes with her but it was nothing a quick trip to the toilet wouldn't fix. Moments later, she walked out wearing a pair of black spandex short shorts and a red tank that fit like a second skin. Black socks and trainers completed the outfit.

"Ready?" Elena asked and Syn nodded.

"I'd much rather be training with you than doing the whole cheerleading thing," Syn said, trying to appear suitably regretful.

"Well, you could always try out for the cheerleading squad another time," Elena said. "And I'd really like some company." Syn felt her heart soften towards the girl who looked so sad and forlorn.

"Come on, I'll make it up to Caroline later," she said with a wink and they both headed towards the track.

"So, what kind of self-defense classes are you taking?" Syn asked Elena once they had settled into a jog.

"It's not called anything special. I'm just learning a couple of moves to protect myself," she said with a shrug. She looked like she wanted to say more but stopped herself.

"Well, you're doing a good thing. No woman should ever be completely defenseless," Syn stated with certainty.

* * *

><p>Elena glanced at the new girl and smiled. She liked her, even though she seemed slightly strange. With all the crap that had been going on in her life, she really could use a friend, especially a normal friend.<p>

"Maybe we could learn together," Elena said on impulse. Then she realized she had thoroughly put her foot in her mouth. How the hell was she going to explain the vervain and the stakes? Damn.

"Sure, that sounds like a great idea. I know a few moves as well so maybe I can help you out."

Elena smiled, wondering how she could get herself out of this situation without appearing to be too bitchy. She wished she didn't have to. She wished she could have a normal life but she guessed that wasn't to be.

Just then, Stefan ran up to them and Elena fought the urge to groan. While she loved him, she still felt a desperate need to slap the smug smile off his face. "What are you doing here Stefan?" she growled.

"My job," he said with a smirk.

"Ugh! Let's go," she said to Syn as she turned and started running in the opposite direction. Syn followed suit but it seemed Stefan was not to be deterred. He simply started running backwards so that now he was facing them. Great, Elena thought to herself.

"Aren't you going to introduce me?" he asked with a wicked grin as he stared at Syn. Elena growled again, a pang of jealousy stabbing through her heart.

"No," she snapped.

"Hi, I'm Stefan Salvatore. And who might you be?" he said, dropping his voice until it was a husky purr.

"Syn Lucas," she replied.

"Syn? It's a pleasure," Stefan responded in the same tone of voice. It was really starting to get to Elena.

"Are you finished?" she snapped, glaring at him.

"Elena, look out," Syn warned as Elena found herself crashing into someone heading the other direction. She took a step back, ready to apologize when Stefan pushed the poor guy so hard he fell to the floor.

"Watch it," he growled at the kid who was cowering on the floor.

"Who are you?" she yelled at Stefan, terrified to see him acting like this. The old Stefan would have never done anything like this. She hated Klaus with a passion. He had ruined her life.

"I'm the protector of the human blood bag, remember? It's what Klaus wants," he said with a shrug and another grin. Elena sighed and then balked as she remembered Syn's presence.

"Stefan," she said in warning, inclining her head towards Syn.

"Oops, did I say too much?" he asked innocently.

"Just shut up," Elena growled. "Come on. Let's get out of here," she said to Syn, who played dumb, pretending not to have heard Stefan's remark.

* * *

><p>Syn watched Elena as she stalked over to the keg of beer and filled a plastic cup, which she quickly gulped down. She snapped something at Stefan but Syn didn't take any notice. As long as Elena was safe, Syn really didn't care about the drama of their lives.<p>

Another blond vampire stood next to Stefan and if Syn's radar wasn't off, then this was one of the Originals. She'd have to keep a close eye on this one.

Elena turned and picked her way through the party-goers, heading towards Syn. "Got you a beer," she said with a smile as she gave her a plastic cup.

"Thanks," Syn said with a smile, trying hard not to grimace. She hated beer, with a passion. "Cheers," she said as she lifted the cup to her lips. She surreptitiously blew into the cup and then took a drink. She smiled as the scotch slid down her throat, lighting a fire in her belly. What was the point of being a daughter of the gods if there weren't any perks?

"I love the outfit," Elena said as she looked her over. "And that thing on your hand is absolutely stunning." Syn smiled as she lifted her hand, the titanium glinting in the firelight, her claws looking suitably menacing.

"It was a gift from a very dear friend," she said.

"You must have some great friends."

"That I do," Syn replied with a smile as she thought of Hephaestus, who had forged the hand bracelet specifically for her.

"Sexy and dangerous, just like the wearer," he had said. "Perfect for the moments when you are fighting off those pesky assassins." She had laughed and hugged him. Only he could come up with the perfect gift for her. Considering he had been there when she had been born and had even been her babysitter on many occasions, it wasn't surprising that he knew her so well.

She glanced over at Elena who was watching someone intently. She followed her gaze and gasped. On a bench, with the Original vampiress sat one of the most beautiful men Syn had ever seen. Considering her life span and the people she hung out with, that was saying something. She felt the fiery fingers of desire coil inside her as she studied him.

He had the face of a fallen angel, with lips perfect for kissing, a jaw that made her body flush with heat and the most amazing eyes. His lips curled into a smirk as he spoke with the woman sitting next to him and Syn had the sudden urge to march over there and rip the bitch away from his side.

"Who's that?" she asked Elena, her voice husky, clearly betraying more than a casual interest.

The girl's eyes narrowed as she quickly glanced at Syn. "Damon, Stefan's brother," she replied curtly. Syn looked at her curiously. Could there be something going on between the two of them? Maybe she had missed something.

Moments later, she heard Stefan asking Elena whether she was jealous or not because his brother was "getting his flirt on." Syn couldn't help a bark of laughter at the way Stefan put it. Elena vehemently denied being jealous, grabbed her coat and left. Okay, that was odd. The girl must be bipolar.

Syn debated whether she should follow or not but decided against it, especially when she saw Stefan go after her. At the very least, he would look out for her because Klaus wanted her alive. And if she started following her everywhere, Elena would think she was some weird stalker. Dad just loved to make life harder than it had to be.

It couldn't have been more than ten minutes later when Syn felt a strange ripple and if she hadn't known better, she would have thought someone or something had breached the fabric between the underworld and Earth. Except it was in the wrong direction. She brushed the thought aside and decided to ignore it until moments later she felt the same ripple but it was so strong this time that she gasped.

Letting her power flow out of her, she began to track the source of the ripple. Something that didn't belong was roaming about. She gasped when she found the SUV on fire, with Elena in it and their history teacher, of all people, trying to open the door but failing miserably. He had to jump back, to get away from the heat of the fire.

Syn rolled her eyes. Great! Where the hell was Stefan? She ran over to the car, stepping through the flames and grabbed hold of the handle of the car door. As soon as she made contact, she felt a spell dissipate that was keeping the door closed. She wrenched it open and picked Elena up, who was half unconscious, and carried over her to the teacher, who had come up behind her as close as he could without being burned.

"Stefan's in the back of the truck," he gasped. Syn rolled her eyes again. This was ridiculous. "Please, he's hurt."

She nodded curtly and ran to the back of the truck, wrenching the door open so hard it almost came off its hinges. Stefan was lying in the back looking quite dazed.

"Stefan! Come on, get your ass up!" she shouted at him as she pulled on him, dragging him out of the truck. When his body hit the ground, he reacted instinctively, jumping to his feet. They both ran towards the teacher and stood back as the car exploded.

Rather than hang around and answer uncomfortable questions, Syn decided it might be a good idea to have a talk with daddy dearest. Since when did he allow witches to mess with his residents?

She quickly backed into the forest, still watching Elena to make sure she was unscathed. The girl was a damn trouble magnet. She tapped a finger against her lips and decision made, she called out softly, "Zarek, sweetie, wake up. I need you." When no response was forthcoming, she snapped a little louder "Zarek!"

She heard a loud yawn and a groan in her mind. "Stop shouting, woman! I'm awake already," she heard his raspy voice in her mind.

She knew what would happen next. Her tattoo would start to shimmer and fade away while Zarek materialized in front of her. All 70 feet of him. "Seriously?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Zarek was a dragon shifter with a wicked sense of humor that wasn't always appropriate. In his dragon form, he was a beautiful metallic bluish green that changed shade in the light, but he was 70 feet long and at least 20 feet tall. Even as a man he was taller and bigger than most but he was just as beautiful as his dragon form, with long hair that reached the middle of his back the color of his scales. His eyes had pupils that were slits, much like cats, which lent him an air of dangerous sensuality.

"What does my mistress require?" he asked sarcastically.

"Aren't you hilarious? First of all, why don't you change into a human? At least that way maybe one person in Mystic Falls might have actually missed seeing a huge dragon looking at them over the tree tops."

"Hey, I am NOT that big," he grumbled but did as she requested, his form shrinking and molding into that of a human. Thankfully, this time he had decided to appear clothed in a pair of faded jeans and a black T-shirt. He had a bad habit of showing up naked at the most awkward moments just to irritate her. They had grown up together, so seeing each other naked was nothing. It didn't register at all because they just didn't see each other that way. However, appearing naked in the middle of one of her uncle's banquets didn't really go over well, especially since Zeus had no sense of humor whatsoever.

"I need you to guard Elena for me tonight," she said.

"Why?" he asked, looking at her quizzically. She had never asked him to guard anyone else. And he had been having such a nice sleep as well. While he could sleep like other beings, he much preferred taking on the form of a tattoo and sleeping on Syn because it was much more energizing. They shared a symbiotic relationship, besides being best friends. She fed him with energy and he protected her whenever she needed it. The fact that they had "girl's nights" together or went clubbing and got flat out drunk was besides the point.

"She's a trouble magnet and I really don't need any surprises, especially while I'm with Dad and can't get to her," she explained. "Please help," she said batting her eyelashes.

Zarek rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'm going."

"Thanks, you're a sweetie," she said with a smile. He humphed but she could see the soft smile starting to form. "Right, I have to go and ask Dad why he's letting ghosts suddenly wander around among the living."

"Okay, I'll see you in the morning," Zarek said with a wave as he was walking away.

Syn focused for a moment, sending a telepathic message to daddy dearest. "Dad, we need to talk." It was never wise just to pop in on her father, not if she didn't want to go blind from seeing his bare ass or something else. She shuddered at the thought. Yeah, he was a magnificent looking man, but he was…Dad and it was just icky.

"What is it Syn? I'm a bit busy," he responded.

"I just had an encounter with a ghost that was extremely solid," she said. She hadn't even blinked properly when she found herself standing in her father's throne room. She breathed a sigh of relief. He was dressed.

"Run that by me again," he said, looking at her quizzically.

"A ghost tried to set Elena on fire, ergo tried to kill her. Since when do you let ghosts run around interfering in the affairs of the living?"

"Since never. What the hell is going on?" he turned to Vladimir, a very human-looking demon, who was, for lack of a better title, the office manager of the underworld. "Call a meeting with the section heads. I want to know what's happening and I want to know NOW!" he roared.

"Alright already, I'm not deaf," Syn muttered.

"Look, Syn, you get back to Elena and I'll let you know as soon as I find out what's going on."

"You know, I don't know how you expect me to protect her without revealing who I am and what I'm doing there. The girl was almost barbecued tonight," she said.

"I never said you had to keep your mission a secret," Lucifer said with a shrug.

"Then what the hell was the whole high school thing for?" she asked, feeling her temperature rise. She was going to kill him for shoving her in school.

"She needs protection in school as well, doesn't she? Or do you think they're all going to wait for her to finish her classes before they attack," he asked sarcastically.

"Oh fine, whatever. I've got to get back. Don't forget to let me know what's happening, ok?"

"Sure. You go on," he said with a wave.

"Thanks Dad," Syn responded with a smile and a peck on the cheek. She closed her eyes, forming a picture of her home in her mind and felt the molecules of her body shift through time and space. In the blink of an eye, she was standing in the living room of the sumptuous two story home she had purchased in Mystic Falls. She was a princess of the underworld or of hell as others more crudely put it, which meant she was going to live in style.


	3. Chapter 2

The next day, Syn decided to head over to the Grill. It was Illumination Night or some other crap like that so school was out for the day. So, she decided the Grill would probably be the best place to hook up with Elena without seeming stalkerish. She really needed to talk with the girl because it was becoming ridiculous.

She walked up to the bar and ordered a double scotch, neat. Taking her glass, she slipped into a booth in a quiet corner, preferring not to be seen. She sipped on her drink and simply watched the people around her as they drank, laughed and talked.

A little while later, she saw the history teacher walk in with Damon. She picked up on their conversation but was only interested in the salient points, namely "Mason was dead but now he stuck a hot poker in my chest." What the hell was going on? Another one?

She saw the teacher looking around the bar and cock an eyebrow when he spotted her. He inclined his head and she responded in kind. "Hang on," she heard him say to Damon. "I'll be right back."

He made his way over to her, his glass in hand. "May I?" he asked and she nodded. "I'm Alaric Saltzman…"

"The history teacher," Syn said with a smile. "Nice to meet you."

"I wanted to thank you for your help," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, last night. If you hadn't been there, Elena could've…" his voice broke, as if he was unable to say the actual words.

"Don't worry, it wasn't a big deal," she said with a shrug. At that his eyes shot up and he looked at her closely.

"What are you?"

"Excuse me? I'm just a high school senior. I happen to be taking your class, if you remember."

Alaric snorted. "Come on. First of all, you look about as close to a teenager as I do to a toddler. Second, you're here drinking scotch and third I saw you walk through that fire as if it was nothing. You got Elena and Stefan out on your own. I couldn't even touch the doors, let alone open them," Alaric said, his voice almost a whisper.

"I'm just someone who's here to help." Alaric looked at her a little skeptically.

"Why?"

"Because I am."

"No, this is too dangerous. You need to stay out of it. You don't know what you're dealing with," he said adamantly.

"Ric," she said, "trust me, I can handle it." Ric opened his mouth to say something but Syn cut him off. "Look, believe me when I say that I know exactly what's going on and I'm here to protect Elena."

"You are? Why didn't you say anything?"

"Oh, right. Like you all would have believed me." Ric shrugged but knew she was right. No one would have believed her, especially Damon, who had serious trust issues. "Now, I think your friend needs you. We'll talk some other time." He looked over at Damon and sure enough, he was looking at him curiously and waving him over.

"We really need to talk, if you're really here to help Elena. Here's my address. I'm staying with Elena and Jeremy. Meet me there in an hour. Hopefully Elena will be there as well and we can talk some more," Syn looked at the piece of paper Ric was holding and debated whether she should take it or not. Finally she relented. It would be easier all around if she could stick close to Elena without having to worry about how to make it all appear accidental.

* * *

><p>Damon watched Alaric talking to someone he couldn't see clearly. It was clearly a woman, by the sound of her voice, but from this angle he couldn't see her at all. However, their conversation made him extremely curious. So, she had saved Elena last night. Why hadn't anyone told him? And who the hell was this girl.<p>

He waved to Alaric, calling him over. When his friend reached his side, he asked "Who the hell was that?"

"I'm not really sure," Ric responded truthfully.

"What do you mean, you're not sure," Damon snapped.

"Well, I know she's in my class, with Elena but there's just something different about her. She definitely doesn't look like a teenager and her eyes seem… I don't know… really old. She says she's here to help Elena."

"I heard that part. You're not telling me you trust her," Damon said incredulously, his icy blue eyes widening in surprise.

"I don't know, man. She did save Elena last night."

"Yeah, but not everyone who wants to keep Elena alive is doing it for her. Most of them have a hidden agenda, see Stefan."

"You have a point," Ric said.

"I'll come over and have a talk with her myself," Damon decided. Before Ric could formulate an answer, Mason appeared on Damon's right and both men gaped at the werewolf.

Before long, Damon's plans to go with Ric were derailed when Mason revealed he had a way of killing Klaus.

Ric breathed a sigh of relief. Damon was a little too intense and he didn't want Syn to have to deal with his particular brand of annoying sarcasm just yet. She might decide to abandon them and they needed every ally they could get.

He pulled out his phone and dialed Elena's number. "Elena," he said when she answered. "Meet me at the house. We need to talk."

"Can't this wait?" she asked in exasperation.

"No, it can't," his tone brooked no argument and Elena relented.

* * *

><p>An hour later Elena walked into the house and saw Ric sitting in the living room with someone very familiar.<p>

"Syn!" Elena exclaimed, genuinely happy to see the other girl, though the timing could have been better. "What are you doing here?"

"Hi Elena. Don't worry, it isn't a social call," she said with a wink.

"What do you remember about last night, Elena?" Ric asked her.

"I remember the fire and I remember you rescuing me and Stefan. Why?"

"I didn't rescue you. I couldn't get the doors open and then the fire was too damn strong and hot for me."

"Then how…" Elena trailed off as things started to make sense. "Syn? But how?"

"Simple, I walked up to the car, opened the door, pulled you out. Rinse and repeat for Stefan," Syn replied with a grin. Elena laughed.

"What she's forgetting to mention is that she walked through fire without even being singed," Ric pointed out and Syn rolled her eyes. Elena stared at her.

"Are you a witch?" Elena whispered.

"Something like that. But what I am isn't important. What you need to know is that I'm here to protect you, okay?"

"But why?"

"Let's just say that someone I love very much asked me to keep you safe," Syn said with a shrug.

"Thank you," she whispered, "but I can't have anyone else putting their life on the line for mine. Enough people have died because of me." Elena felt a tear roll down her cheek. It was so sweet of Syn to offer but she couldn't bear another person being hurt because of her.

Syn rolled her eyes. "Come here," she said to the girl. Elena hesitated. The hard look in Syn's eyes was kind of scary. "Come on, I won't eat you," she said with a wink. Elena laughed at how silly she was being and sat down next to Syn. "Give me your hand," and Elena reacted automatically.

Syn closed her eyes and began the journey into Elena's memories. A few minutes later, she opened her eyes and gave Elena a hard look. "Your parents crashed their car. That had absolutely nothing to do with you. Vicky would have ended up dead in a gutter of an overdose. Trust me, it was better this way and again, it wasn't your fault. Sheila was old enough to make her own decisions and she knew exactly what would happen if she did the spell. John gave up his life for yours and it's the least he could have done after the shit he pulled. Again, not your fault. And Jenna? Jenna, sadly, was collateral damage because of Klaus," Syn said matter-of-factly.

Both Ric and Elena were staring at her in shock. "What?" she asked.

"How do you know so much?" Elena gasped.

"Does it matter?"

"I guess not, but it's still my fault everyone I care about is in danger," Elena practically whimpered.

Syn surged to her feet. "For hell's sake. Stop with the pity party. So, you're a Petrova doppleganger. So what? That's genetics and there's crap all you can do about it except deal with it. Oh, and stop trying to sacrifice yourself. That's what will get people killed as they try to save your ass from the impossible situations you like putting yourself in."

Elena simply gaped. She opened her mouth to say something but words wouldn't come out. She swallowed hard. Syn was right. She glanced at Ric, who was grinning from ear to ear. She glared at him.

"What?" he asked. "She's right!"

"Of course I'm right. I'm always right," Syn said with a laugh.

"Cocky much," Elena asked.

"I have reasons to be. Anyway, this bodyguard detail I'm on means I'm going to have to stick to you like glue, pretty much, unless Stefan is around," Syn warned the girl.

"I'm still not comfortable with you putting yourself in danger for me," Elena said.

"Well, tough shit. I'm doing it anyway. And you can make life easier for me by being agreeable and listening to me, or you can make your own life harder when I lock you up," Syn said sweetly and Ric burst out laughing. He quickly quieted when he realized she was being serious. Damn, it was like being in the room with the female version of Damon.

He was actually worried what would happen if Syn and Damon were in the same room. He suspected it would lead to blood on the walls.

"And I don't want Stefan around me," Elena whispered. Syn cocked an eyebrow. "He's working for Klaus," she said.

"Look, I don't care who he's working for. His goal is to protect you and that's all that matters."

"But he's shut off all his emotions," Elena said with a sigh. "He's not my Stefan anymore."

Syn really felt the urge to slap her. "Your Stefan was a fool who never learned to control his predatory side. And your Stefan was only one side of him. If you really love him, you need to learn to accept all of him," she said. Elena simply gaped at her.

"How can I when this side of him is pure evil?"

"Honey, there is no such thing as pure evil. Take this from someone who knows."

"But he's killed so many people," Elena whispered.

"He is a vampire," Syn enunciated slowly as if she was speaking to a moron. "What do you expect? Pink roses and fluffy clouds? Seriously, Elena, grow up. If you want to be around vampires then this is what you should expect."

"But, they don't have to kill people," Elena said adamantly. Syn rolled her eyes.

"And you don't have to eat meat and kill animals, but you do," Syn said pointedly. "And yeah, they don't have to kill people, but it's Stefan's stupidity and inability to control himself that got him here in the first place. A vampire needs to feed on human blood to learn control. He took the easy way out. Draining animals meant that he could still kill without feeling the remorse," she said with a shrug.

"How do you know so much about vampires?" Ric asked her curiously.

"Let's just say I have a very diverse social circle," she said with a smile.

"Are you a vampire?" Elena asked.

"No," Syn replied.

At that moment a knock sounded at the door. Ric got up and answered it. A moment later they heard him call out, "Elena, it's for you." Syn started to feel the same ripple she had felt the day before and she shot to her feet as Elena walked to the door. She followed the human girl and her eyes widened.

"Lexi?" she heard Elena say.

"Come on, I've got Stefan in the dungeon at the boarding house. It's time for ripper rehab 101," she said but Elena hesitated. "Didn't you say you'd do anything to get the old Stefan back?"

Elena nodded and turned to Syn, who was standing in the shadows. "I have to go," she said. Syn looked over at the blond vampire ghost and walked forward. Lexi gasped.

"Syn?" she said, her voice wavering in surprise.

"Long time, no see, Lexi," Syn said with a small smile. She and Lexi had travelled in the same social circles at one time.

"Being permanently dead will do that," Lexi said with a shrug. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm on protection detail," Syn said, nodding her head towards Elena.

Lexi's lips formed a perfect 'o'. _She doesn't know who I am and I'd rather keep it that way,_ Syn's voice sounded loud and clear in Lexi's mind. The vampire nodded in response. It wasn't as if she had much choice. If Syn went ballistic on her, she'd suffer for it for an eternity.

"You two know each other?" Elena asked in surprise.

"Yes, we do," Syn said, refusing to say anything else. "So, what's this about Stefan?"

"Klaus compelled him to turn his emotions off and he's become a ripper," Lexi explained. "I'm here to put him back on track."

Syn looked at her, an eyebrow cocked. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come on Lex. You know Stefan on animal blood is weak as shit. How's he going to protect Elena if a strong wind can blow him over?"

"I know but like this he's too volatile. He kills people without remorse and he enjoys doing it."

"You should have taught him control instead of feeding on animal blood," Syn chastised the vampire.

"I know, I tried but I couldn't get through to him," Lexi said. "You could help, you know."

"I don't really give a crap what he is as long as he's able to protect Elena," Syn said with a shrug. She wasn't here to fix their emotional problems. She had a job to do and nowhere in that job description was "vampire shrink and trainer" mentioned.

"She can help?" Elena asked in surprise.

Lexi laughed. "Syn can do a lot more than help, if she wants to."

"Please, help us," Elena whispered.

"I'll think about it. Can you take care of her for a few hours?" Syn asked Lexi. "I need to take care of something."

Lexi nodded. "We'll be at the boarding house with Stefan," she said.

"Don't get used to this," Syn told her and Lexi nodded. "You shouldn't be here and we both know it." _But I'll make sure you move on to the Elysian Fields once this is sorted,_ Lexi heard Syn say in her mind. Tears sprung to her eyes. Finally, she'd be able to move on.

"Thank you," she whispered. Syn smiled and winked.

"I always look out for my friends. Now, I have someone to see about this little ghost problem this town seems to be having."

Moments later Syn simply vanished from sight. "What the hell?" Ric exclaimed while Elena simply gaped in astonishment.

"How did she do that?" Elena gasped.

"How does Syn ever do anything she does?" Lexi responded. "Come on, let's deal with Stefan."

* * *

><p>"Dad, this is getting out of control. The whole town is overrun with ghosts of vampires and they are solid. They can touch things." Her father looked at her, a frown marring his features.<p>

"It's bloody Esther," he growled. "She won't stop until Elena is dead so that Klaus doesn't make any more hybrids."

"Damn it, Dad! Can't you control her?"

"It's a bit of a problem considering she's not from this world," he said as he shrugged.

"But we aren't either. So, what's the problem?"

"The problem is that I can't interfere. I need to appeal to the Higher Council and it's going to take months to get a reply."

"Fucking politics," Syn grumbled. "Is there anything we can do?"

"Well, a short term solution is to destroy this necklace," her father said as an image shimmered into existence in the middle of the room. "It's acting as an anchor, allowing her to use her powers in the mortal world." Syn studied the image, realizing it was vaguely familiar. Then it hit her. It was the necklace she had seen in Elena's memories, the one Stefan had given Elena.

"I think I know where to find it," she said.

"You can't be the one to destroy it, though," her father warned.

"Why not?"

"It has to be done by a mortal witch. You have no ties to their world," Lucifer explained. "And this all went haywire because of a mortal witch who fucked up a spell."

"Fine, I'll get Bonnie to do it," Syn said.

"Be careful. She's the one who fucked it up in the first place."

"I'll be there with her and I'll make sure she doesn't fuck it up again."

"Good," her father responded. With that Syn teleported back to the mortal world, right outside the boarding house. It was already early evening. Damn, she had forgotten that time passed differently in their dimension.

She walked into the house and called out, "Lexi, Elena, you here?"

"We're downstairs," she heard Elena shout. So, she walked down the steps and walked into a cell where Stefan was chained to a chair. He was spitting and swearing and begging.

"What's wrong with him?"

"His body thinks it hasn't had blood in a decade and he's a bit desperate," Lexi said with a shrug. "Now, I need to cause him some pain, to get him to feel something. Any emotion, even if it's rage."

"Do what you need to do. I need a word with Elena." Syn said as she turned to the doppelgänger. "I need the necklace Stefan gave you."

"I don't have it. Damon's got it but why do you need it?" Elena asked curiously.

"Because the town is overrun with vampire ghosts who are hell-bent on revenge and I need to sned them back where they belong," Syn explained. Elena's eyes widened.

"It's not just Lexi and Anna?" she asked in a whisper.

"No, it's every vampire this town has ever managed to piss off."

"But can't we wait a little longer so Lexi can help Stefan," Elena asked, her voice pleading.

"Sure, I don't mind dozens of people getting killed. But can you live with that on your conscience?" she asked and Elena paled.

"No," she whispered. "Damon's got the necklace up in his room. I'll show you." The girls made their way up the stairs and stood before the door to Damon's room. Elena hesitated.

"What is it?" Syn asked.

"It's Damon's room," she whispered, almost in awe. Syn looked at her strangely. After sifting through the girl's memories, Syn didn't know what to think of her. She had some feelings towards this vampire but apparently not enough to take the final step. Syn also found it highly irritating that she desperately tried to change Damon into someone her morals could accept. She claimed to care about him but at the same time was too scare of who Damon really was. Syn shook her head, trying to be a little more understanding. After all, Elena was only 18.

"Oh come on," Syn said as she barged in the room. She looked around and shrugged. "See, nothing special. Just a room. Though he does have good taste in decorating," she said with a wink and Elena laughed.

"I'll look for the necklace. I need you to call Bonnie and tell her she needs to do the spell on page 326 of her Grimoire."

"Okay," Elena replied, pulling out her phone. Syn started to look through drawers while Elena spoke to Bonnie.

"How do you know what spell I need to use?" she heard Bonnie ask Elena.

"A friend told me," Elena replied.

"Are you sure you can trust this friend?"

"Implicitly," Elena replied with a small smile at Syn, who was rolling her eyes. After a few minutes of searching, Syn decided to try and locate the damn necklace using her powers. She closed her eyes and let her power search out any item that seemed to be magical. A few moments later she opened her eyes and looked at Elena, who was watching her curiously.

"It's not here," Syn said.

"Crap. Let me call Damon," Elena said as she pulled her phone out.

"Did anyone else know about the necklace and its importance?"

"I don't think…." Elena trailed off.

"What is it? Tell me."

"Jeremy has been seeing Anna, his dead vampire girlfriend and he said he needed to talk to me about something. He said he knew something about how the ghosts could touch things."

"That's just great. Come on, let's find them. Do you have any idea where they'd be?"

"Jeremy was going to the Illumination Night Festival with Ric. He should be there but I'll call him to make sure," Elena said as she dialed his number.

"Hi Elena," Syn heard Jeremy's voice.

"Where are you?"

"At the festival," he replied. Syn grabbed Elena's hand and 'ported them to a dark alley, close to the town square. Elena gasped.

"That was fast," she said, grabbing onto a wall to steady herself.

"Sorry about that. I forgot to warn you that 'porting can make some people kind of dizzy and nauseous," Syn apologized.

"I'm okay," Elena said with a small smile as she straightened. "Let's find my brother." They walked out of the alley and searched the throng of people standing in the square.

"There he is," Elena said and both girls walked up to him. Syn noticed a small girl hiding behind him and elbowed Elena, showing her.

"Where's the necklace Anna?" Elena asked without preamble.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Anna whispered.

"Anna, I know you took it," Elena tried again as Syn looked on.

"Look, if she says she doesn't know, then she doesn't know," Jeremy snapped at his sister.

"Anna, look at me," Syn said. The vampire ghost stared into her eyes as Syn allowed the fires of hell to burn in her pupils. She knew what the vampire would see. She would see the desolation of hell, the torture and pain where evil souls were punished for their wrong-doings. The vampire gasped and started to tremble. "Now give me the necklace."

Anna whimpered and Syn rolled her eyes. _Give me the necklace and I'll make sure you and Pearl are reunited in the Elysian Fields_.

"You can do that?" Anna asked softly.

"Of course, but only if you give me the necklace," Syn said. The vampire dug into her pocket and pulled out the necklace, much to Jeremy's consternation.

"Thank you," Anna whispered and Syn nodded her head. Elena had been watching the exchange and was certain she was missing something. But it didn't matter, they had the necklace.

"Jeremy, take Elena home. I'll take the necklace to Bonnie," Syn said.

"I'll call her to let her know you're coming," Elena said. "She might have a heart attack if you just materialize in front of her."

"Good idea." _Zarek, where are you?_

_You forgot about me, didn't you._

_No, I didn't. _

The shifter snorted, clearly not believing a word she said. _I'm still tailing your ward. If you turn around you should be able to see me._

Syn glanced behind her and sure enough, Zarek stood there, leaning inconspicuously against a wall. _Thanks. Could you keep an eye out on these two? I've got a spell to break._

_Yes, my mistress. Your wish is my command. _

_You get funnier by the century, _Syn snorted in response.

"Okay, Bonnie's waiting for you," Elena said and Syn nodded. "She's in the old mansion where the witches were burned. I'm not sure of the address."

"Don't worry, I know where it is," Syn said as she vanished, causing Jeremy to gasp.

"What the hell?"

"Don't ask. I have no idea. All I know is that she's on our side and that's all I need to know," Elena said with a shrug.

* * *

><p>Syn materialized in front of Bonnie, who let out an ear-piercing shriek. "Fuck, Bonnie. I think you blew out my eardrums," she grumbled.<p>

Bonnie blushed. "Sorry, I just didn't expect you to appear so… suddenly. "

Syn nodded and glanced at the other person in the room. "Sheila," she said with a nod.

"Syn?" Sheila's voice betrayed her surprise.

"The one and only," she replied with a wink.

"You know her, Grams?" Bonnie asked in surprise and Syn just grinned.

"Yes, dear, I do. What are you doing here?"

"I'm on Elena protection detail," she said. _I need you to keep quiet about who I am. No need to frighten the crap out of your granddaughter, don't you think?_

Sheila nodded. She'd never betray Syn's secret, especially since she was there to help them.

"Do you have the necklace?" Sheila asked.

"Here it is," Syn said as she handed Bonnie the piece of jewelry. "Coould you please make sure your granddaughter doesn't fuck this up?"

"Don't worry. Everything will be fine." _Can I ask you something? Could you please look out for Bonnie as well?_

_You know I will. She's your granddaughter, so she's under my protection. _

_Thank you so much, _Sheila replied, feeling much better knowing that Bonnie would be safe.

_Don't worry about it. Anyway, it's a purely selfish decision. I wouldn't want to lose the friendship of my favorite witch, now would I? _Syn asked with a wink making Sheila smile.

_So, we still on for Canasta next week?_ Sheila asked.

_I can't. I'm going to be stuck here for a while but we'll reschedule as soon as I get back._

"Okay, you guys get on with it. I've got some things to deal with. Let me know when you're done," Syn said and disappeared.

"Who is she, Grams? And how do you know her?" Bonnie asked her grandmother, staring at the spot Syn had vacated.

"It doesn't matter. All you need to know is that you can trust her. She's a bit psychotic," Sheila said with a small smile, "but she always comes through for the people she cares about." Bonnie looked at her grandmother skeptically but shrugged.

"If you say so," she said as she closed her eyes and began to chant the words to the spell.


	4. Chapter 3

"I can't do this," Syn heard Elena cry as she rushed out of the cell Syn had just appeared in.

Stefan was spitting and swearing, trying to get out of his bonds. "Would you please shut the hell up? And stop spitting on everyone. It's disgusting," she snapped at the vampire who stopped struggling and stared at her.

"Elena, you might want to come back in here. Bonnie's doing the spell and Lexi will have to go," Syn shouted after her. A few moments later, Elena walked back into the room with a sigh.

"I hate watching you hurt him," she said to Lexi.

"It has to be done. It's the only way."

"I still think this is a mistake," Syn grumbled. "On animal blood, he'll be too weak to protect a flea, let alone Elena."

"She's right, so why don't you let me go," Stefan pleaded.

"Did I or did I not tell you to shut up?" Syn snapped at him.

"Make me," the vampire goaded.

"Uhm, you might want to shut up, Stefan," Lexi warned him.

"What's she going to do? Bleed all over me?"

"I'm so tempted to rip your intestines out and throttle you with them but I don't think Elena could take it. So, keep quiet before I decide I don't give a shit about what your girlfriend feels," Syn warned, her tone laced with menace.

Stefan laughed. "She's not my girlfriend. And you're a pathetic weakling. You can't do anything to me."

Syn rolled her eyes. "Does he ever stop talking? I don't know how the hell you two put up with him."

"He's not usually such a dick," Lexi said with a shrug. "Crap! I can feel the pull," she said to Syn. "Please help him."

"Fine, whatever. Be safe. I'll see you soon," Syn replied with a small smile. Lexi disappeared a moment later.

"Can you really help him?" Elena asked in a small voice.

"Yes," she replied and Stefan barked in laughter. "But not right now or I might be tempted to rip his heart out through his nostrils. Come on, I'll take you home."

"What about Stefan?" Elena asked.

"I'll come back and let him go tomorrow," she said with a shrug.

"No. Please. He needs to stay in here…" Elena whispered.

"You bitch," Stefan snarled.

"For fuck's sake. I told you to shut up," Syn snarled. "Elena, we either get out of here now or I hurt him."

Elena nodded and followed Syn, who had turned on her heel and walked out of the cell. She locked the door behind her but shook her head when Syn extended her hand.

"I've got my car here," she said by way of explanation. Syn followed her to her car and moments later they were driving away from the boarding house.

"Why don't you want Stefan out?" Syn asked the girl.

"Because he's doing everything he can to break me. To destroy any vestiges of hope I have left that I can get him back and I can't deal with it. I can't let him win," Elena said softly.

"Elena, things will never be the same again. If you really love him, then you need to accept both sides of him. I know you want him to go back to what he was before but if you really care about him, then you'll realize it's more important for him to learn to control his predatory side than to make himself weak by avoiding human blood."

Elena nodded. "I know but I'm scared. Stefan's not like Damon."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Damon has always been able to control himself. When Damon kills, he usually has a reason or, at least, he knows what he's doing. And he doesn't play with his victims. Stefan just goes insane. He tortures people, rips them limb from limb…" Elena trailed off, unable to continue.

"Is there something between you and Damon?" Syn asked curiously.

Elena looked at her in shock. "Of course not!" she exclaimed.

"Really?" Syn asked. "If you don't tell me the truth, how do you expect me to protect you?"

Elena sighed. "Everyone thinks Damon is in love with me and that's why he protects me," she said.

"And what do you think?"

"I don't know. I know he cares, even though he hides it, but I think it's because I look so much like Katherine." Syn kept quiet. She wouldn't reveal the fact that she had seen all Elena's memories, including the one she had been compelled to forget. Damon really did love her and he was willing to let her go because he thought his brother was more deserving. What a fucking mess?

"And how do you feel about him?"

"I don't know," Elena said, exasperated. "He drives me crazy because he can be so sweet one moment and the next he's sticking a hot poker through someone's chest."

"Do you love him?" Syn asked.

"No!" Elena practically shouted. Syn looked at her, an eyebrow cocked. "I don't know…" the girl sighed. "I'm attracted to him. Hell, I'd have to be dead not to be. And I do love him when he lets his humanity surface but I hate it when he goes all psychotic. But even when he scares me, I feel safe. I know he'd do anything to protect me."

"So, basically, what you're trying to say is that you don't really know how you feel about him but have no problem using his feelings for you against him to make sure he protects you, right?" Syn asked.

"No!" Elena exclaimed horrified. "I wouldn't do that to him. I don't want to hurt him."

"Hey, even if you are, it's a good plan. It's what I would do, if I were you," Syn said with a shrug. It definitely wasn't something she would do but she was trying to show Elena what she was doing.

"I'm not doing that," Elena said adamantly.

"But you're trying to change him. Make him into something that he's not, aren't you?"

"No," Elena said in a small voice. "I'm just trying to help him be a better man."

"In whose opinion? Yours?"

Elena glanced at Syn but didn't say anything. After a few minutes, Elena sighed. "When Damon first came here, he was a psychotic vampire with no regard for life. In time, though, he started to change…"

"I know Elena," Syn said. "I've seen all your memories. I know everything." Elena gasped. "That's why I want to understand how you can berate him for his darker side, the part of him that will do anything to protect you, yet, at the same time, take advantage of it when you need him to save you or someone you love. Don't you think that's a bit hypocritical?"

"Can we not talk about this now?" Elena said with a sigh, as she parked in front of her house.

Syn shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. But maybe you should have a good, hard think about what you really want. Or who you really want," Syn said. "Anyway, here's my number. You should be safe here but if you need me, just call and I'll come right over."

"Why are you helping me? You clearly don't like me," Elena said.

"I'm helping you because someone I love dearly asked me to. And you're wrong. I do like you and I understand things can be confusing, with everything that's going on in your life and at your age."

"My age?" Elena asked in surprise. "You can't be much older than me…" she trailed off.

"Are you sure about that?" Syn asked and then winked at her.

"How old are you?" Elena asked in a whisper.

"Old enough to know that you're going to have to make a choice. Choose one of them and let the other one go because what you're doing isn't fair to either of them," Syn told her.

"I know," Elena whispered. "But what if I can't choose?"

"Then you'll need to be prepared for the consequences when you lose them both," Syn said softly, watching as Elena's eyes filled with tears. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Do you have to go?" Elena asked in a whisper. "Could you stay with me for a while, please?"

Syn was about to say no but her heart went out to the girl and found herself saying, "Sure. I can stay if you want." What the hell was wrong with her? She was going soft in the head.

"Please," Elena said with a small sniffle as she got out of the car.

* * *

><p>Two hours later, Syn and Elena were sitting around the coffee table in the living room, eyeing each other intently.<p>

"I raise you one shot," Elena said. "And no cheating."

Syn smirked as she studied her cards. "Fine. I call," she said as she laid her cards on the table, revealing a pair of Aces and a pair of Jacks.

"You lose!" Elena cried gleefully as she showed her hand.

"Three of a kind. Great," Syn grumbled, though she was smiling inside. After seeing how depressed Elena was, Syn decided that poker would be just what the doctor ordered, especially accompanied by a lot of booze. And it was definitely working, if Elena's bright smile and laughter was anything to go by. "How many shots do I have to drink?"

"Three," Elena said with a big grin. She'd already had a couple of drinks herself and was pleasantly buzzed.

Syn picked up the bottle of Tequila and filled the shot glass, which she promptly knocked back. After repeating the maneuver twice, she grinned at Elena. While she had a much higher tolerance for alcohol, she had been purposely losing to try and improve Elena's mood, which meant she had already gone through two bottles of Tequila by herself and she was starting to feel the effects.

"You're turn to deal," she said to Elena. "You're going down this time."

Elena snorted. "As if. You suck at poker," she said, poking her tongue out. "What's that noise?" Elena asked suddenly.

"What noise?" Syn questioned her.

"It sounds… it sounds as if someone's snoring," Elena finished.

"It's probably your brother," Syn said with a shrug.

"No, it's not. He's not home and neither is Ric," Elena said as she stood and listened intently. "It sounds like it's coming from you." Crap! Syn thought to herself. Zarek had a tendency to snore when she ingested a little too much alcohol. She had called him back to her, to let him rest, since she was going to be spending the night with Elena. It might have been a mistake.

"No it's not," Syn said.

"Yes it is," Elena replied.

"Not."

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Come on, Syn. Please tell me what it is," Elena said, putting on her best puppy dog face.

"Fine, I'll show you. But you can't tell anyone, okay?" Syn responded as she stood and lifted her shirt, showing Elena the tattoo on her ribcage.

"Very funny. You're tattoo snores? Come on!"

"It's not just a tattoo. This is Zarek," Syn said with a grin. "He's a dragon shape shifter."

"You're kidding," Elena said skeptically.

"Am not."

"So, he's a human who can turn into a dragon?" Elena asked.

"No, he's a dragon who can turn into a human," Syn explained.

"Show me," Elena squealed, clapping her hands.

"He's asleep and I'll never hear the end of it if I wake him up." At Elena's pout, though, Syn found herself relenting. "Fine, but if he gets pissed off, I'm blaming you."

"Sure," Elena said, a huge smile gracing her face.

_Zarek, sweetie, you wanna play a game of poker._ No response. Just a louder snore. Syn sighed.

_Zarek!_ She hollered.

_Wha', what is it? I didn't set anything on fire, did I?_ she heard him grumble and laughed.

_No, sweetie, we were just wondering if you wanted to play a game of poker and have a drink with us._

_Us? Us who?_

_Just me and Elena._ In seconds, Zarek had materialized and stood in front of them in all his six and a half foot glory.

"How could I say no to booze, poker and women?" he asked with a wicked grin.

"Wow!" Elena whispered, stunned. "He's gorgeous."

Zarek grinned. "Thank you darling. You're quite lovely yourself." Syn rolled her eyes.

"Come on, hot stuff. Park it here and let's play," she said.

"So, what are we playing for?"

"Shots!" Elena exclaimed happily. "If you lose, you have to drink the number of shots that we used to bet."

"Oooh, poker and a drinking game. Zarek likes," he said and Elena giggled.

"I have to call Caroline. She's just going to love you," Elena squealed.

"Uh, no!" Syn exclaimed. "Remember what I said about not telling anyone."

"But she won't say anything," Elena pleaded.

"Is she hot?" Zarek asked.

"Definitely," Elena replied.

"Then call her," he said with a grin. Elena grabbed her phone and dialed while Syn glared at Zarek.

"You are toast!" she warned him.

"Oh, loosen up. Since when do you have a stick up your ass?" he asked, making Elena laugh.

"Stick up my ass? Really? Okay, we'll see about that."

"Caroline, you have to get over here now!" Elena exclaimed as soon as the girl answered her phone.

"_What's the emergency?"_ Syn heard Caroline ask.

"I've got the hottest guy I've ever seen in my living room," Elena whispered. "You have to get over here!" Two seconds later, they heard a knock at the door. Elena giggled and ran to answer it.

"That was fast."

"Duh! You said that magic words. Gorgeous guy," the blond responded with a shrug. "Now show me."

They walked into the living room and Caroline's mouth fell open when Zarek stood. "Oh my God!" she squealed.

"Hi Caroline," Syn said from her position on the floor.

"Oh, hi Syn, didn't see you there," Caroline replied, her eyes still glued to the incredible male specimen that was in Elena's living room.

"This is Zarek. Zarek, this is Caroline," Elena made the introductions.

"Hi," the blond whispered shyly.

"Hi," Zarek replied with a smile.

"Where did you find him?" Caroline whispered to Elena.

"He's a friend of Syn's," Elena said.

"Damn. Syn, we need to hang out more," Caroline said and Syn laughed.

"Come on, you two. Let's play," Syn said. "Oh and since someone thinks I have a stick up my ass," she said as she glared at Zarek, who sniggered at her, "I suggest we change up the rules a bit."

"What do you mean?" Elena asked as she sat down.

"Let's play strip poker," Syn said with an evil grin.

"I'm in," Caroline said instantly. The thought of seeing Zarek without his clothes on was more than enough incentive for her to play.

"I don't know," Elena said.

"Oh come on, Elena. Don't be such a prude," Caroline whined.

Elena looked around and shrugged. "Oh, alright. Just give me another drink." Caroline squealed and grabbed the bottle of tequila, pouring Elena another shot.

"I'll deal," Syn said. "Caroline, there's a bag in the kitchen with a few bottles of whisky. You mind getting one please?"

"Sure," the blond said and darted at vampire speed into the kitchen. Moments later she was back, holding a bottle of scotch and a three glasses. "Zarek, tequila or whisky?" she asked.

"Whisky, please," he replied. She poured the drinks and handed everyone theirs, while she downed hers in one go.

"It seems I have a lot of catching up to do," she said with a grin and Syn laughed.

Two hours later all four of them were pleasantly drunk and grinning at each other.

"I love your underwear," Caroline said to Syn with a sigh. All three girls were down to their underwear while Zarek had only removed his shirt, revealing his sculpted chest that had Caroline and Elena staring in awe at him.

"Thanks," Syn said with a grin. "Victoria's Secret all the way."

"It is awesome," Elena said, studying the lacy purple and dark pink bra and boy shorts Syn sported. "And you look so hot," she continued. "I wish I looked like you," she bemoaned, staring at Syn's breasts.

"Honey, you're hot too," Syn said gently.

"Yeah, but I'm hot in a girl-next-door kind of way. You're hot in an inspire-erotic-dreams kind of way," Elena said, her words a bit slurred, and a small frown creasing her forehead. "You should be a Victoria's Secret Angel," she finally declared with a grin and Syn laughed.

"Thanks sweetie."

"If anyone cares what I think, I think you're all hot. I'm the luckiest guy on the planet tonight," he said with a grin and all three girls burst out laughing.

"I wanna dance," Caroline said suddenly, her words slurring slightly, much like Elena.

"Great idea," Elena exclaimed and jumped to her feet, swaying only slightly. She turned on the music, full blast and soon all four of them were jumping around and laughing.


	5. Chapter 4

Damon parked in front of the Gilbert residence and looked at Ric. "So, what's the plan?"

"I guess we go back tomorrow, take some photos and try and figure out exactly what it says," Ric replied, referring to the symbols they had discovered carved into the cave walls.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow?" Damon asked, trying to get back into Ric's good graces. He had missed spending time with the guy and had to admit Ric was probably his only friend.

"Yeah, sure. Look, why don't you come in for a drink?"

"Sure," Damon said quickly, before Ric could change his mind. When they got to the front door, though, they looked at each other in surprise.

"What the hell?" Ric said. The music was blasting so loud the walls were vibrating. Damon growled. He could hear Elena, Caroline and a guy. What the fuck was going on?

Ric pushed the door open and walked in, Damon on his heels. They both froze with their mouths slightly agape at the sight that greeted them.

Damon couldn't believe what he was seeing. Elena and Caroline were in their underwear dancing with some guy. A huge guy. He was torn between staring at Elena in her underwear, which was a dream come true, and rushing over to attack the guy who dared tread on his territory.

Elena turned towards him and he felt his cock twitch. Damn, she looked good. He sighed. That was what his life was going to be like forever. He could look but he couldn't touch what he desired most in the world.

"Ric!" she squealed. "Come here, you have to meet Zarek!" Everyone else had stopped dancing at Elena's squeal and simply stared.

"Uh, Elena, I'll just go get a drink. Maybe you can put some clothes on in the meantime," Ric said, horrified at seeing the girl he considered his ward half naked. He rushed into the kitchen, Elena's giggle following him.

"Ric is such a prude," Elena whispered loudly, giggling. Damon still stood motionless in the doorway, alternating between eating Elena up with his eyes and glaring at the guy who must be Zarek.

"Syn?" he heard Ric exclaim in the kitchen.

"Hey Ric. Want a drink?" It was the same woman from earlier at the Grill. Despite his curiosity, he couldn't bring himself to look away from Elena.

"Syn, you're in your underwear," Ric gasped.

"Wow, aren't you perceptive?" she replied with a laugh.

"Please tell me that guy out there is with you," he heard Ric say.

"Don't worry. Zarek's a darling. He and I have been friends forever," she said and he heard Ric sigh in relief. "So, wanna a drink?"

"Yeah, please. I need one. I just saw my ward in her underwear. I'm still in shock."

The woman laughed and Damon felt desire coil in his gut, but that had to be because he was staring at Elena in her underwear. No other reason. Absolutely not.

"Here you go."

"Could you pour another for my friend, please?"

"Sure," she replied.

"Damon!" Ric called out. When there was no reply, he shouted again. "Damon, get your ass in here and stop ogling Elena!"

Damon sighed. He turned and walked into the kitchen, dragging his feet, his head down.

"Damon, this is Syn," Ric said. Damon glanced at the woman and felt his world tilt on its axis as lust exploded through him, his cock swelling, hardening, lengthening. Holy fuck! She was a vision. She was every erotic dream he had ever had rolled into one. Full, pouty lips curled into a smirk that were begging to be kissed, or stretched around his cock, emerald eyes that twinkled with a wicked glint and the most amazing hair he had ever seen.

He tried to utter a hello but his gaze fell to her body and he felt as if he had swallowed his tongue. Holy hell! She was so fucking hot, his brain simply stopped functioning. He nodded, attempting to regain his composure.

"Hey Damon," she said, her voice husky and erotic, making lust shoot through his veins like the fire of a well-aged whisky.

"Hey," he managed to get out.

"Here," she said as she handed him a glass. When his fingers curled around it, he touched her and he felt sparks rush up his arm and straight to his cock.

"Thanks," he said, his voice came out gruff. He watched her walk over to one of the chairs near the island in the center of the kitchen and hop up on to it, so she was facing him. He swallowed hard.

"So, this is who I was telling you about earlier," Ric said.

"Ooh, you talked about me," she said with a grin. "I hope it was all dirty."

Ric blushed and Damon had to laugh. Oh, he liked her, he definitely liked her a lot. And then he remembered what Ric had said about her.

"You're expecting a drunk Playboy centerfold to protect Elena," he asked Ric incredulously. _Elena has never had this effect on you_, his inner voice whispered. _Shut up, traitor! I love Elena. This is just lust._

"Thank you for the compliment," she said smoothly, with a wink. "You're pretty hot yourself." And just like that, Damon was speechless again. "But I wouldn't worry if I were you. I can handle myself."

You can handle me anytime you like, Damon wanted to say but caught himself just in time. Instead, he snorted. "You're human. I could rip you to shreds before you could even blink," he snapped.

She cocked her head, her hair falling over her shoulder, brushing against one of her tempting breasts. God, he'd love to get a taste of her, to suck one of her nipples and listen to her moan. Crap! No! He didn't want anything to do with her. He was in love with Elena.

"You think?" she asked cockily, a smirk curling her lips.

"I know," he replied with a confident grin. She threw her head back and laughed while he stared at her in rapt fascination. She was exquisite.

Ric was watching the interaction between the two of them and tried to hide his grin. The sexual tension between them was palpable and Damon seemed completely shocked by it. He fought the urge to laugh. This was good. No matter how much Damon loved Elena, she wasn't right for him. Damon was too intense, too strong and definitely too worldly for Elena. She couldn't handle him even on his nicest days. But Syn? She just might be able to.

"I like you," she said with a smile. Damon simply gaped at her. She must be kidding.

"Nobody likes me. I'm a dick," he said.

"He's right," Ric said in agreement.

"Thanks a bunch Ric," Damon said. "Do you even know what I am?" he asked the woman.

"A really hot guy with delusions of grandeur?" she asked innocently.

Damon growled. "I'm a vampire," he hissed.

"No!" she gasped, her hand going over her heart. "But they don't exist," she whispered.

"I fucking told you that she didn't know what she was getting herself into, Ric," he growled at his friend. He never noticed Ric trying to contain his laughter.

All he knew was that he wanted to scare the crap out of her, even though he didn't know why. Probably because he was lusting after her more than he'd ever lusted after Elena, even though he was in love with her. It pissed him off and made him feel like a traitor and it was all her fault.

He let the change take over, his fangs dropping down, black veins spidering out from his eyes, which had become blood red. Any moment now she'd be running away screaming in terror, he thought with satisfaction.

Only, she did the last thing he expected. She started to laugh. "Oh, look, Ric. He's got fangs! Isn't he cute?" she exclaimed and Damon's jaw dropped, so stunned his features returned to normal. Ric burst out laughing.

"Syn, you are priceless," he gasped. "I've never seen Damon speechless."

She winked at Ric. "It's a gift, what can I say?"

"I still don't see how she can possibly protect Elena," Damon spat out, annoyed at being the target of their amusement, even though it had been kind of funny.

"Damon, she fricking walked through fire," Ric hissed.

"So? She's still human and therefore easy to kill," he said with a shrug.

"Forget it Ric," she said when he opened his mouth to say something. "I don't care what he thinks, I've got a –" she stopped talking, her back straightening, her body tensing, her head cocked to one side as if listening for something.

"Great! And I was having such a nice evening," she muttered. Ric and Damon looked at each other and shrugged. She was loopy. "Zarek! To me! Now!" she hollered, making them both cringe. The house suddenly became silent as Zarek rushed into the room.

He knew that tone of voice all too well. It was the one she used when there was trouble so he always reacted instantly.

"You called, mistress," he asked.

Syn rolled her eyes. "Yes, slave," she replied playing along. Watching Damon's face fall in shock was just too funny to resist. "We've got company. Eight of them as far as I can tell."

Zarek grinned. "Goody. So, what and where?"

"Six hybrids and two fire demons," she replied. "They're circling the house, looking for a way in."

"What the hell are fire demons doing here with hybrids?" he asked in surprise.

"I have no idea. But I'm going to fucking find out," she growled.

"So, we pick 'em off one at a time?" he asked.

"Yeah, we don't want to attract too much attention," she said.

Damon and Ric were watching the exchange as if the two of them were insane.

"Can you sense anything?" Ric asked Damon, who shook his head. The woman was delusional.

Suddenly, a smell hit him. "Crap! She's right. There are hybrids out there."

"You two," she said turning to them. "You stay here and protect Elena."

"And what are you going to do? Flash them to death?" Damon asked sarcastically.

She grinned and the air began to shimmer around her. One moment she was in her underwear and the next she was fully dressed in jeans, combat boots and a black tank top, with a knife strapped to each leg.

Suddenly, a crash sounded followed by a scream, which galvanized everyone in the kitchen. Syn skidded to a stop and stared into the living room.

A hybrid had hold of Elena, holding her tight as he tried to back out of the room. "Come any closer and she's dead," the hybrid warned.

Syn snorted but was already moving before the hybrid uttered the last word of his warning. She launched herself into the air, using one foot to push against the back of the couch and propel her towards the hybrid. In mid-air she drew her daggers and rotated her body so she landed behind the hybrid, facing his back, her daggers digging into the soft flesh either side of his neck. He howled in pain as she dragged the daggers down, severing muscle, tissue, bone and organs. The hybrid screamed in agony, letting Elena go, who stumbled forward into Damon's arms.

The whole thing had taken seconds and everyone stared in shock at Syn, who was wiping her knives on her jeans.

"Change of plan, Zarek," she said softly. "Take Elena home and keep her safe." The shifter nodded and grabbed Elena, disappearing instantly.

"What the fuck?" Damon growled. "Where the hell is she? Where'd he take her?"

"Somewhere safe," Syn said. "Don't worry, she'll be fine. He just took her to my place, that's all." Damon relaxed slightly, though he still wasn't too happy with Elena disappearing like that.

"Won't he heal?" Ric asked, pointing to the hybrid lying on the floor, unmoving.

"Why would he?" Syn asked in surprise.

"Well, you know, he's a vamp werewolf hybrid and can't really be killed by anything," he said with a shrug.

"Don't worry, he's not getting up," Syn said with a smirk.

"How do you know?" Damon snapped. He was still stunned at how she had moved. One second she had been next to him and the next she was slicing the hybrid in half. Fuck, he had to give the woman props. She was fucking dangerous. But what irked him was that it made him want her even more. Damn his traitorous body!

"Are we going to stand around discussing my weaponry or are we going to take care of the other idiots outside? Fire demons are a pain in the ass to take down," she said, twirling the knives in her hands.

Damon felt like kicking himself. He had completely forgotten about the others. "Let's go," he said.

"What about me?" Ric asked.

"Stay here," they said in unison.

"Oh, no. I'm not staying here. I can help." Syn rolled her eyes.

"If you have a death wish, who am I to dissuade you?" she said with a shrug. "Here, take these. At least these work," she said as she handed Ric her knives.

"What about you?"

"I don't need them. I just like using them," she said with a smirk as she lifted one foot over the window sill. "Anyway, I've got more. I'd suggest you stick with Damon. Try not to get bitten, lover," she said to Damon with a wink and then she disappeared into the darkness outside.

Damon stared after her, not sure whether he wanted to beat her or fuck her or both. He growled. "Come on, Damon. Let's go," Ric said, pulling him out of his reverie. They slipped out the back door and came face to face with a hybrid. Damon pushed Ric out of the way and stuck his hand in the man's chest, pulling out his heart with a loud slurp.

Ric breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks man." They made their way along the house, treading quietly. They soon found another hybrid which Damon dispatched with the same efficiency. Hand in chest, grab heart, slurp and it was done. Damon grinned at Ric.

"Fine, you're good. Happy now?" Ric said with a grimace.

"Yup," he said popping the p. Ric's eyes went wide and his face paled, his gaze fixed on something that was growling behind Damon. He turned slowly and his face fell. A huge black wolf with blazing red eyes was staring at them, it's head down, it's lips curled back in a snarl.

"Shit Damon. You have to get out of here. It's a fucking werewolf," Ric said urgently.

"Right, teach. What are you going to do? Give it some kibble?" Damon quipped, though he felt his gut clench. This was the biggest werewolf he had ever seen. It was twice as big as Julie had been. He swallowed hard. Fuck it. It was just a wolf. He'd rip it's head off and mount it on his wall.

The wolf's muscles bunched as it started to run at him. Damon tensed, ready for the impact. Suddenly, a voice thundered in the clearing, "Stop!" Syn shouted.

Damon felt like laughing, even though he was about to be dog food. The woman was really nuts. When the wolf skidded to a stop, though, and turned his head towards Syn, Damon felt like throttling the woman for putting herself in danger.

"Are you stupid?" he hissed.

"Shut up, vampire," she snapped. "Come here, boy," she said softly to the wolf. Yup, the woman was definitely fucked in the head if she thought she could control a werewolf. And then the damn dog just had to whimper and run to her. When he nuzzled her hand, Damon was convinced he was hallucinating.

He looked at Ric who looked just as stunned as he did. Okay, so he wasn't hallucinating.

"How did you get here baby?" she asked the wolf, who just whined and rolled onto its back. Syn scratched his belly and laughed. "Good boy. Let's get you home," she said and in the next instant the wolf had disappeared.

"What the fuck was that?" Damon asked in shock.

"A hellhound," Syn answered simply.

"A what?" Damon demanded.

"A hellhound. Do I need to spell it out for you?" Just then two creatures that stood at least seven feet tall appeared in the middle of the yard and, for the umpteenth time that night, Damon felt his jaw drop.

"Okay, what the fuck are those?" he rasped, staring at the humanoid creatures with horns of fire and leathery wings.

"Fire demons," she said. "And they have no business being here."

The two demons were staring intently at Ric and Damon. For the first time in his life, he knew what it felt like to be regarded as if he were dinner. Not good. Not good at all.

Syn moved so that she was standing in front of Damon and Ric, glaring at the demons.

"What are you doing?" Damon asked. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"Fuck, Damon, you talk as much as your dick brother," she snapped. "Just shut it, would you?"

"What are you doing here?" she growled at the demons, who stood there with their mouths agape. The whole situation was surreal but Damon actually felt for the demons. He had had the same shocked look on his face for most of the evening.

"Your Highness?" they asked, in strangely demonic voices that seemed to crawl up his spine. Damon suppressed a shiver.

"I asked you a question," she snapped. Both demons fell to one knee as Syn walked forward and Damon fought the urge to burst out laughing at the ludicrous sight. Two creatures of nightmares were bowing to a Playboy centerfold. What was wrong with this picture?

"We were sent here, your highness," they said.

"Why?"

"To take the girl to the hybrid."

"Who sent you?" she continued to question.

"Liara," came the reply. Fuck! That woman was a pain in her ass. She had told her father a thousand times he needed to put her down.

"Does my father know you are here?"

The quickly indrawn breaths was answer enough. Clearly, he wasn't aware.

"My lady, had we known you were protecting the girl, we would never have come," one of the demon's said, his voice pleading.

"Silence!" Syn thundered. "You dare interfere in the mortal world without my father's permission? You dare use the hellhounds for your own agenda? You dare consort with those who would kill me?"

"No, your highness! No! We meant no harm!" they cried.

"I have no patience for traitors. My father will deal with you as he sees fit," Syn said, looking at the cowards in disgust.

"No, please, no. Your Highness, have mercy."

"Keep your mouths shut!" she snapped. She looked over her shoulder at Damon, who's jaw had fallen to his knees. "I'll be right back," she said with a small smile.

_Zarek, you can bring Elena home, the coast is clear,_ she sent the message telepathically to Zarek.

_Be there in a few minutes,_ came the reply.

_I have a little demon problem to take care of, but it shouldn't take long. _And with that, she touched both demons and ported them straight into her father's throne room.

"What the hell?" she exclaimed when she saw Elena sitting to one side, talking with her mother.

"Syn, what are you doing here," her father said with a smile. "And why are you towing two fire demons?"

"These two idiots attacked Elena's house, with six hybrids. Apparently they were sent by Liara to take the girl to Klaus."

Her father's face was growing angrier by the second. "What?" he thundered so loud that the walls shook.

"Dad, stop doing that or I'm going to go deaf," she snapped.

"You dared attack my daughter! You dared enter the mortal world without my permission!"

"Oh, yeah, and they brought a hellhound with them."

"Vladimir," he shouted. As usual, he was at her father's elbow before he had finished shouting his name. "You and I have work to do. Take them to the dungeons, I'll be right with you."

"Now, can someone explain to me what Elena is doing here?"

"Zarek brought her. Didn't you send him?"

"Great! He's a genius. I told him to take her home. I'd have thought he knew I didn't mean fricking here! I hope you haven't scared the crap out of her."

"Me? Of course not! She was rather uncomfortable at first. Well, at least that's why I think she was screaming. But your mother talked to her and she's fine now. She seems quite a nice girl but has very odd ideas."

"What do you mean?" Syn said, staring at her father.

"Well, she and your mother have been talking about these two vampire brothers and she thinks she loves them both but doesn't know which one to choose."

"So?" Syn said with a shrug. To be completely honest, the fact that Elena might choose Damon didn't sit all that well with her now that she had had a chance to experience him up close and personal.

"Well, I don't understand. Why choose when she can have them both?" Syn burst out laughing.

"It's a simple concept. What would mum do to you if you suggested you wanted to sleep with another woman?"

Lucifer glanced over at his wife and swallowed hard. There was only one creature he feared in the world and that was his wife. He paled at the thought of what she'd do to him if he even thought about sleeping with someone else.

"Exactly," Syn said, satisfied she had gotten her point across. "Okay, I've got to take her home. I'll see you soon," she said as she gave her father a hug.

She walked over to where her mother and Elena were talking. "Ready to go Elena," she asked. Elena looked up at her with a huge smile.

"Hi sweetie," her mother said with a smile. Syn grinned and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Elena is such a lovely girl. You really should bring her around more often," her mother said as if Syn had had anything to do with it.

"Mom, I don't think the Underworld is a good weekend destination for Elena," Syn said.

"Oh no, I love it here," Elena said. "And your parents are so cool!" Syn laughed.

"Yeah, that they are. Mom's the goddess of sex, war and rock'n roll and dad's the god of the underworld. Definitely cool people," she said with a warm smile directed towards her mother.

"And we have an amazing daughter," her mother answered with a wink.

"We have to go, Mom. But if Elena wants, we can visit again," she said.

"I'd love to," Elena gushed.

"Okay, maybe we'll pop over for dinner this weekend, if you're not busy," Syn said to her mother.

"Of course you can come! Why not stay the weekend? You can show her around a bit."

"We'll see. We really have to go before everyone goes ballistic on the other side. You know how time passes differently there."

"Okay, you girls go ahead. Bye Elena, it was lovely to meet you."

"Good-bye Mrs. Lucas, it was great to meet you too," Elena said with a smile. Syn laughed.

"I don't think anyone's ever called my mother Mrs. Anything," she said with a grin. "Bye Mom."

"Bye, sweetie." And with that Syn grabbed Elena's hand and they ported back to the Gilbert house.


	6. Chapter 5

Ric, Damon and Caroline were there waiting for them. They all looked pale and worried. Damon jumped up when he saw them and grabbed Elena in a hug.

"Where the hell have you been?" he shouted.

"Visiting," Syn snapped.

"You've been gone for hours," Ric said. "We were worried something had happened to you both."

"See, if you act like a moron, you get ignored. If you're polite, I might actually answer," she said as she glared at Damon. Her gaze softened as she looked at Ric. "I sent Zarek with Elena somewhere to keep her safe. The problem is that time passes differently there. We were only there for a half an hour at the most but apparently it's been hours here."

"Oh, okay. As long as your both safe, that's what's important. And thank you," Ric said.

"For what?"

"For everything you did tonight," Ric whispered.

"I was only doing my job," Syn said with a smile.

"Not just that. You made Elena smile and laugh. It's been a long time since I've seen her look so happy and relaxed."

"I have a question," Damon said, his voice calm.

"By all means, ask away," Syn said.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Damon!" Elena snapped at him, slapping his arm. "Don't talk to Syn like that!"

"You're taking her side?" he asked in disbelief.

"She's my friend and she saved my life tonight!"

"And what am I? A poodle?" Damon snarled.

"You're my friend too," Elena whispered. Damon rolled his eyes. He'd always be just the friend.

"Okay. Syn, could you please tell us who and what you are?" Damon asked, gritting his teeth at being so polite.

"Does it matter?" Syn asked.

"After tonight's display, yeah, it does matter!" Damon snapped.

"Tell them Syn," Elena said. "You can trust them, I promise."

"You know?" Damon asked, clearly surprised. Elena just nodded.

"Fine! With or without special effects?" she asked Elena who grinned.

"Oooh, with special effects please," Elena said laughing.

"Okay, for you," Syn said with a grin. Damon and Ric were looking at the two of them like they were strange in the head.

Syn rotated first her right shoulder and then the left. She stood, facing her "audience", with her feet shoulder width apart, her hands by her sides and her head bowed, her hair falling forward, covering her face. Suddenly, a wind started to blow inside the living room, lifting her hair from her face. Red lightning engulfed her body and flew out of her fingertips, while a pair of black wings sprouted from her back.

She lifted her head and looked at the occupants of her room, knowing they would see eyes that glowed red, fangs that just peeked out from below her top lip and an intricate Celtic tattoo that covered the left side of her face in honor of her mother.

"Holy fuck!" she heard Damon gasp. She grinned at him and winked.

"I am the daughter of the Morrighan and Lucifer. My mother is the Goddess of War and my father is the God of the Underworld. I am known as the Protector of Warriors, the Lady of Chaos and Destruction and the Princess of Hell," Syn said in a demonic voice. "And I am definitely someone you don't want to fuck with." And just like that, in the blink of an eye, Syn reverted to her normal appearance.

"That was awesome," Elena said looking at her in awe. Everyone else was simply staring, unable to form words.

"If I knew that's all it took to shut Damon up, I would have done it sooner," Syn said with a smirk. Ric and Elena burst out laughing while Damon and Caroline still didn't move a muscle.

"This is unbelievable," Ric whispered. "You really are a goddess?"

"Last time I checked, yeah," she replied. "Alright. It's highly unlikely they'll try again tonight. Not after they had their asses handed to them. So, I'll be heading out. There's a certain dragon shifter's ass I need to kick."

"But you said you'd spend the night," Elena said with a pout.

"I'll come back. In the meantime, you can all talk about me behind my back." She said with a grin and disappeared.

"Are you still alive Damon?" Ric asked the vampire jokingly. Damon hadn't moved a muscle. He was trying to get himself under control. If he had lusted after her before, now it was a hundred times worse. When she had spoken, with the lightning going and the wings and the eyes, his cock had hardened to the point where he was convinced he could come just from listening to her. He was fucked in the head.

"Let's just say I'm glad she's on our side," he said and everyone agreed.

"She's a fucking goddess," Ric said in awe. "And she's damn hot, too!"

"Oooh, does Ric like Syn?" Elena teased but when she felt Damon tense, who still had an arm around her, she looked up at him curiously.

"I'm not dead. Of course I like her," Ric deadpanned. "But I haven't got a chance in hell." He laughed at his own pun.

"Why do you say that?" Caroline asked, now that she was able to speak again.

"Please. She's a goddess. She's not going to be interested in someone like me," he said with a sigh. Ric glanced at Damon and was pleased to see the vampire glaring at him. So, Damon really was into Syn and now that Ric knew what she was, he realized she was perfect for Damon. If anyone could keep Damon in check, it was Syn.

"You never know," Caroline said.

"She's right. You know, we're going on a little weekend trip together. Maybe you should come along," Elena said. She wasn't exactly sure why she was trying to push Ric into Syn's arms. If anyone asked her she would say it was because she cared about the teacher who had become the closest thing she had to a parent. She wanted him to be happy and if he liked Syn, she would do what she could to help. She would certainly not admit, even to herself, that just maybe she didn't like the way Damon had reacted to Syn.

Damn it all to hell! She knew what she was doing wasn't right. It wasn't fair to anyone. And what was worse was that she knew she wasn't in love with Damon. Hell, she didn't even know how she felt about Stefan anymore. Yes, she cared about Damon, she didn't want to hurt him but at the same time, she was afraid of losing him. He always made sure she was safe. If he didn't love her anymore, would he still care enough to look out for her, to stay with her?

God! She sounded so fucking selfish. She knew that's exactly what she was. If she really cared about Damon, she'd be happy for him to find someone, especially someone like Syn. So, why was she trying so hard to push Ric in Syn's direction. Because she knew Damon would never make a move on her if he thought Ric was interested.

And Elena was seriously worried that if Damon ended up sleeping with Syn, then he'd realize he didn't really love Elena. And then he'd leave her and she'd have no one.

"So, where exactly are you two going?" Ric asked curiously, bringing Elena out of her reverie.

"And why wasn't I told that you are leaving?" Damon snapped. "I'm just the dick who's trying to keep you alive. Of course I don't need to know," he said sarcastically.

"Oh shut up Damon. We only just decided and we're going to visit her parents," Elena said in answer to Ric's question.

"Where do they live?" Ric asked.

"Where do you think?" Elena asked, with a cocked eyebrow.

"Are you insane?" Damon hollered. "You're going to Hell for the weekend! Okay, Gilbert, you've completely lost the plot! No way in hell are you going to Hell! Got it?"

"Would you keep your voice down?" Elena hissed. "And it's not like that. It's not actually Hell. It's the Underworld. It's just like in Greek mythology but way cooler," Elena said with a grin.

"And how do you know?" Damon asked suspiciously. Just then the roar of an engine could be heard outside and Damon briefly glanced outside but his attention was quickly diverted by Elena's answer.

"Well, Zarek was a little overzealous when Syn told him to take me home. He took me to the Underworld instead of their place here in Mystic Falls, like Syn had intended."

"You've just come from the Underworld?" Caroline squeaked.

"Yup. I even met her parents and they are awesome," Elena said with a grin.

"I still think it's a bad idea. How the hell are you going to be safe there?" Damon asked.

Elena looked at him in surprise. "So I'm going to spend the weekend with a goddess and her parents, who both command huge armies, and you think I won't be safe?" she asked with a face that clearly questioned his sanity.

"Well, how do we know they want to keep you safe?" Damon knew he was just being pedantic but for some strange reason he didn't like the idea of Elena and Syn disappearing together for a few days. He told himself it was just because he wanted Elena close to him and had absolutely nothing to do with him being worried that Elena and Syn would discuss him and the latter would find out how much of a dick he really was.

"Man, you really are a dick," Ric said with a sigh. "Why would they want to hurt her there but protect her here? Seriously, cut the crap. Anyway, Elena, thanks for the invite but I don't think Syn and I are a good match. On the other hand, you could take Damon with you. You know, for educational purposes," Ric said with an evil grin.

Damon's face brightened. "That's a brilliant idea. I can keep her safe."

Elena looked at Damon and Ric in horror. No, no, no. First of all, she wouldn't be able to do anything with Damon hounding her every move. And secondly, this was exactly what she wanted to avoid. Damon in close proximity to Syn for extended periods of time.

"Sorry to burst your bubble boys," they heard Syn's voice say, "but this is a girls only weekend." They all whirled around quickly to find Syn leaning comfortably against the door jamb watching them with a grin on her face and her arms crossed over her chest.

"You came back," Elena said with a huge grin. She fought the urge to run over and hug her. She didn't know if Syn would appreciate the show of affection.

"Of course I did. I always keep my word," she said with a wink.

"Anyway, I was thinking that maybe Caroline and Bonnie would like to come with us and we could make it a proper girls weekend, hot male strippers and booze included," she said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Male strippers?" Elena breathed, a blush tingeing her cheeks pink.

Caroline was staring with her mouth agape at Syn. "Are you serious?" she breathed.

"I never say anything I don't mean," Syn said. "Think of it as Vegas on crack," she said waggling her eyebrows.

"I'm in!" Caroline shrieked as she grabbed her cell phone out of her purse. "I gotta call Bonnie!" she said as she dashed into the kitchen.

"No, no, no. There is no way in hell this is happening! What about keeping you safe?" Damon snapped, his head on the verge of exploding. Male strippers? What the hell? There was no way fucking way he'd allow it.

"But I want to go, Damon," Elena whined. Suddenly, she didn't care about who Syn hooked up with. All she wanted was to have some fun without worrying.

"Do you really think I'd let anything happen to her?" Syn asked Damon, who suddenly felt rather dizzy as all the blood in his body seemed to rush south. It had nothing to do with her intense stare or how she had cocked her head to the side, reminding him of earlier when she had been practically naked. No, it was just an instinctive reaction to a stronger predator and the fact that Elena was still in his arms. That's the only reason his cock was practically tapping out the rhythm to Seether's 'Fuck Me Like You Hate Me.'

"Am I supposed to suddenly believe you have no ulterior motives? Just go with blind faith? Please. Let's get real," he scoffed.

Syn snorted, shaking her head, making that amazing mane of hers sway against her back and buttocks. Damon watched on in rapt fascination, wanting to feel the silky length against his skin. What? No way, no how! He didn't do one-night stands anymore. He knew Elena hated it. And he wanted to be a better man for Elena because maybe, someday, she might choose him.

"If I really wanted to hurt her or give her over to Klaus, do you think there's anything any of you could do to stop me?" Syn asked, lifting her right hand which was casually playing with two small balls of… red lightning?

Damon gulped. No way he considered that hot. Absolutely not. Definitely not. _Oh shut up, moron. You're annoying already,_ that traitorous inner voice berated him. Fuck, he was having conversations with himself now. This was bad.

"The lady has a point," Ric said, watching Syn with just as much fascination as Damon. Power sizzled around her and he was surprised he hadn't noticed it before. He guessed she must have been hiding it somehow because he couldn't imagine how anyone could look at her and not realize that she was something truly amazing. He was also amazed at the effect she was having on Damon. It was quite funny, in fact. If only his friend would get his head out of his ass and realize Elena was not right for him.

He understood Damon a lot better now. He had been starved for affection all his life and that was why Damon was so attached to Elena. Because she had shown him a little affection. Sadly, though, he knew Elena was too young to deal with Damon and all his issues and if he didn't wake up, it was going to end badly for all of them.

"If you even try to hurt Elena, I'll find a way to destroy you, no matter what it takes," Damon growled with conviction. _Great going, smartass. Now, we're never getting into her pants_, his inner voice said. Or was that his cock? _I don't want to get into her pants_, he snapped. _Keep telling yourself that,_ came the reply.

"Damon!" Elena gasped. "Don't you dare speak like that to Syn," she admonished him as she stepped out of his embrace. He glanced at her, trying to hide how much it hurt that she would side with a virtual stranger against him. Wasn't life just great? He was dropping on the list of priorities now. Soon he'd be choice seven thousand. He sighed and let the mask of indifference settle over his features.

"Fuck it. Do what you want. Get yourself killed. See if I give a shit. I've got a date with a few sorority girls and a bottle of scotch," he said shrugging.

"Damon," Elena said in warning. "Don't do this." She looked at him worriedly. Why was he acting like such a jackass? Didn't she have enough to deal with considering Stefan was killing people left and right? Did he have to start acting like his brother? Couldn't he understand she needed a break?

"What Elena? Don't do what?" he growled, glaring at her.

"Don't act like this. You're better than this," Elena said softly.

"Really Elena? Well, what if I'm not? What if I'm really not?" he hissed.

Syn watched the exchange curiously. She had seen the brief flash of pain in Damon's eyes, but she doubted anyone else had caught it. She cocked her head and tried to piece together the puzzle that was Damon, based on Elena's memories of him. He clearly cared deeply for the girl but Elena did have a habit of treating him like a pet, rather than a person.

"Elena," she said quietly, her decision made, "I think Damon and I need to talk in private." It was probably stupid. She'd already spent more time trying to convince him of her good intentions than she'd ever take with anyone else. And she knew it was damn stupid to care what he thought of her. And why the hell did she give a shit that he was hurting because Elena had thrown out a careless remark, as usual? Damn and double damn, she was going soft. This was not good.

"But…" Elena stammered, her eyes widening.

"There's nothing you can say that will change my mind," Damon sneered. Suddenly, he was terrified of being alone with _that_ woman. She was dangerous. Too dangerous and he couldn't risk it.

"Who said I wanted to change your mind? And about what?" Syn said surprised.

"You know, the sorority girls and…" Elena whispered, gesturing with her hand, seemingly unable to refer to Damon's feeding habits out loud. "Please, you have to stop him."

"Elena, please, he's old enough to make his own decisions. If he wants to go off and sulk, it's up to him," Syn said to Elena seriously. "And anyway, it wasn't as if I was giving him a choice." She sauntered up to Damon, who practically snarled at her. "Don't make me put a muzzle on you," she snapped.

Damon was so startled that he forgot why he had been trying to stop her from touching him. Muzzle? Did he look like a damn mutt? He was going to wring her neck. "You even try and I'll drain you dry," he hissed. And then she just had to grin at him in that wicked way, which he knew meant she was going to say something he wasn't going to like.

"Promise?" she purred. Damon blinked. He swallowed. He could hear a buzzing in his ears. His skin was burning. Why was he burning? It was dark out. He felt more blood rush into his cock, so he was thickening, hardening, throbbing with need.

And then she laid her hand softly on his forearm. He was going to explode. That much was certain. The buzzing had become a roaring. He felt as if his whole body had been set on fire. The woman's soft gasp made him want to kill her. He needed to kill her. She was driving him insane. She was making him want her when what he really wanted was Elena. She definitely had to die. After he kissed and fucked her senseless, he'd kill her. _Excuse me, but I think I have a say in this and I like her so you aren't killing anyone. Anyway, she'd just roast your ass and I like being able to walk around, thank you very much._ Damn his inner voice. Didn't it ever shut up?

Damon's eyes rose from the hand that lay gently on his forearm to lock with emerald eyes filled that drew him in. He couldn't look away and he felt himself falling deeper and deeper as everything around him went hazy. He could stare into her eyes forever, the wayward thought dismissed as quickly as it appeared. He wanted to give in to the lust, for just a moment, without feeling guilt or remorse. What the hell was this woman doing to him?

Suddenly, everything cleared around him and he found himself standing on a terrace looking down on a city. A very modern city, one he knew couldn't possibly exist on earth because they certainly didn't have flying cars or hovering holographic display screens. Nor did they have skyscrapers so tall that even he could get vertigo. And it was bustling with activity, people and other creatures, which he'd rather not look at too closely, were going about their business, while the sun shone down on them brightly.

"Where exactly are we?" he asked, even though he knew the answer.

"Welcome to Sin City, capital of the Underworld," she said with a grin.

"Sin City? Seriously?" he looked at her in surprise.

"Everyone calls it that nowadays. It's real name is almost impossible to pronounce for a human and half the time even the rest of us can't remember it," she said with a laugh.

"So, why did you bring me here?" he asked her suspiciously.

Syn rolled her eyes. "Damn it, Damon. If I wanted to kill you or lock you up, I didn't have to bring you here to do it," she hissed at him. Why did the sound of his name rolling off her tongue sound so right? And why did he wanted to hear it over and over again?

"I brought you here to show you that Elena will be safe," she said with a shrug as she turned around. She indicated something with a quick nod and he turned and stared. He was looking at a huge structure that seemed to defy the laws of physics. It seemed to be floating but it appeared to be made of glass, concrete and steel. It didn't look like any normal building he had ever seen, with columns going off at odd angles and huge but irregularly shaped windows. "That's my home."

Even more impressive than the structure were the guards. There must have been at least 40 of them and they made the fire demons he had seen earlier that evening look tiny.

"Well, I guess no one would be stupid enough to try and breach this place," he grudgingly admitted.

Syn rolled her eyes again. "Trust me, if you're not on the list, you can't even get here. And if you try entering the palace without an invitation… Trust me, you'll be praying for death right after you wish you had never been born."

Suddenly, a male voice thundered in the air, "Syn!" Damon looked around and saw someone coming towards them. The man stood at least six and a half feet tall, had a broad chest, black hair and even blacker eyes. He was good-looking, in a dangerous, annoying kind of way, if you liked that sort of thing. And of course he just had to know Syn, didn't he.

"Dwyn?" she said, clearly surprised. But she was already jumping on the man, who grabbed her in a bear hug. Damon was gnashing his teeth together in annoyance. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Can't I come see my favorite cousin? Do I need any other reason?" the man asked innocently. So they were cousins? Damon suddenly felt the fury in him recede.

"Please, Dwyn. This is me, Syn, remember? I know you. Your shit doesn't work with me."

"So, who's this? Your new pet? And are you sharing?" Dwyn asked much to Damon's horror. He was seriously thinking of how he could kill Syn's cousin without getting his ass toasted. No one called him a pet and he certainly wasn't going to be shared.

"Dwyn, this Damon, a friend. Damon, this is Dwyn, my obnoxious cousin," she said as she poked her tongue out at said cousin.

Damon felt the other man's eyes studying him. When he slowly extended his hand, Damon couldn't do anything but respond in kind. "Good to meet you," Damon said, the urge to please Syn so overwhelming he was starting to question his sanity.

"Likewise," Dwyn said with a grin. "So, you two up for some fun tonight?"

"Sorry, babe. We're not staying. Got a situation to deal with in the mortal world. But we definitely need to get together soon," Syn said with a smile.

"Okay, cuz, then I'll see you around. You too Damon," he said, an evil glint in his eye. He shook Damon's hand and hugged Syn again before he disappeared.

"That was odd," Syn murmured.

"How do you mean?" Damon asked.

"Mmmm? Oh, nothing. It's nothing," she repeated, still deep in thought. Dwyn was the god of mischief and pranks and she wouldn't be surprised if he'd done something stupid. He really better hope he hadn't or last time will seem like a walk in the park after she was finished with him.

_I think you'll like this,_ he said in her mind, and she knew he was just grinning like a complete idiot. She turned to Damon and plastered a smile on her face. "Now, if you still don't feel certain that Elena will be safe, you can come along as well, though I'd rather you didn't," Syn said.

Much to Damon's dismay, it actually hurt that she didn't want him coming along. Why did he care what she thought? She was just some chick.

"It's not what you think. Elena needs some time away. She needs to let loose for a couple of days and she can't do that with you around," she said.

"Why not?" Damon demanded.

"Because she's 18 and has two vampires who are over 150 years old vying for her attention, who both want forever with her. It can get a little overwhelming. She just needs some space and some time to just let go without having to worry that someone else she loves is going to kick the bucket," Syn said with a shrug.

Damon opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. She was right. Elena would feel a lot better if she took a break and he knew he could trust Syn, no matter how belligerent he had been earlier.

"You're right. This trip will do her good. Make sure you bring me back some souvenirs," he said with his characteristic smirk back in place.

"How about a succubus? They're awesome in bed," she said with a grin as she waggled her eyebrows. Damon burst out laughing.

"I like the way you think," he said with a grin. "But how exactly do you know what they're like in bed?"

"Let's just say that I never kiss and tell," she said with a wink. Damon was convinced he was five seconds away from melting into a puddle. Thank goodness he didn't have to move for them to get back home or they would have been in a lot of trouble.

When they reappeared in the living room of the Gilbert house, everyone jumped in surprise.

"Everything okay?" Ric asked them.

"Absolutely fine," Syn answered with a smile and Damon nodded. "So, we're on for this weekend," she said looking at the girls.

"I spoke to Bonnie and she can't wait either," Caroline said, almost bouncing in her chair with glee.

"Okay, so now that's settled, I desperately need a shower," Syn said. "So, I'll head on home. I'll see you on the morrow," she winked at Elena.

"Aren't you going to spend the night?" Elena asked quickly. She had been studying both of them since they had reappeared and it didn't seem like anything had happened between them. But she still hadn't liked the way Damon had been looking at Syn just before they had disappeared. And she'd have to talk to Syn about her flirting with Damon. That had to stop, Elena decided. It wasn't right for Syn to lead Damon on and then abandon him. She was sure Syn would understand.

"It's already 4 in the morning, sweets. I'm not going to sleep but you need your rest. I'm going to have a nice, long soak and then take care of some things. I'll be back before you wake up, okay?"

"Wow, I didn't realize how late it was," Elena said with a gasp. "Thanks for everything, Syn," she said as she hugged the woman.

"No worries," she said with a smile.

"Yeah, I better get going as well," Caroline said as she stood, with Damon on her heels.

"Night teach, Elena," Damon said as he followed Syn and Caroline out of the house.

"Need a lift Caroline?" he heard Syn ask.

"That would be cool, thanks. I love your ride," he heard Vampire Barbie gush. So he glanced towards the area where the voices were coming from and his mouth dried out completely. Syn sat astride a red Ducati, cementing the idea that she really was every erotic fantasy and dream he'd ever had all rolled into one.

Fuck, he needed to get home now. His cock was desperate for some attention, even if it was only his hand. _How about we do Syn?_ No fucking way. That would be betraying Elena. _How? She's dating your brother, not you._ Thank you, Captain Obvious.

* * *

><p>As soon as he walked in the house, he could hear Stefan yelling desperately. "Damon! Get me the fuck out of here!"<p>

He sighed, rolling his eyes. He really, really wasn't in the mood for this right now. He was hard as a rock and, for once, he wanted to take care of himself first. So, he ignored his brother and climbed the stairs to his room. He'd sort Stefan out in a few hours, he decided. It wasn't like he was going to die.

Damon shut the door behind him and glanced at the bed. He shook his head. He needed a shower. Desperately. In moments he was standing naked under the spray, the hot water rolling down his body, soothing his muscles. He grabbed the soap and once he had worked up a decent lather, began to wash his body, removing the grime and dried blood from the fight earlier in the evening.

When he reached his cock, he couldn't hold it back anymore. Didn't want to. He gripped his cock with his fist and started to pump gently. An image formed in his mind of Elena naked, lying beneath him, softly moaning his Damon as he thrust inside her, begging for more. Damon moaned, bringing one arm to support himself against the wall.

She'd be so sweet and he'd be gentle with her, sliding in and out of her wet heat slowly, until she was writhing beneath him, pleading with him to make her come. He pumped his cock harder and faster until he had to lean his head against the wall.

Suddenly, the image changed. He was behind her, while she was on her hands and knees, waving her ass at him. He grabbed hold over hips and slammed into her, thrusting hard, fast and deep. He knew he couldn't last, he knew it would feel so good. He was squeezing his cock harder and harder, his breathing harsh, his body trembling with the need to come.

And then the woman in his fantasy turned to look at him and he found himself starting at Syn's sexy smirk and flashing green eyes. She licked her lips and Damon groaned. "Fuck me hard, Damon. I need you," she purred huskily. He growled, his fangs dropping as he wound his hand in the long mane of hair and rammed into her over and over again until she was screaming his name.

Damon exploded, his climax hitting him out of the blue, his seed shooting out of his body like fire. It was vicious and sudden and he could feel it in every cell of his body. He could barely stand, his knees weak. Damn that woman! She was squirming her way into his life and he didn't fucking like it. He couldn't even keep her out of his head, his fantasies. _And that's her fault, of course,_ the perpetual pain-in-the-ass inner voice sounded. Oh shut it.

* * *

><p>Syn gasped as she sat up quickly, sloshing water all around her. What the hell was that? She could see Damon laying on top of Elena, his hips working as he thrust inside her, the girl's head thrown back, moaning softly. This was so not her fantasy! Then why was she getting so turned on? Fuck, she moaned, throwing her head back.<p>

It was weird, she wasn't touching herself, yet she could feel pleasure coursing through her body. And the fantasy, it was as if she was in someone else's mind, watching. Suddenly, the image changed and she saw herself, on her hands and knees, with Damon behind her, slamming his body into hers. "Fuck!" she whispered as her hands shot out and she grabbed on to the edge of the tub.

She was trembling like a leaf, her breathing coming out in pants. She had already been aroused to the point of pain earlier, watching Damon go all warrior-vampire on those hybrids, so this was definitely not helping her situation. And when she felt an orgasm rip through her that was but wasn't hers she threw her head back and groaned.

"What the hell was that?" she whispered to herself. _Dwyn, _she called out to her cousin. At first she got no response. Maybe she was too far? Nah, he was just being a pain in the ass. She knew him. He'd be close by, watching the effects of one of his pranks. _Dwyn, get your ass here or I swear I'll shrink your dick for the next decade,_ she warned.

"Chill, cuz, I'm here," he said grinning as he just appeared in her bathroom.

"Mind telling me what that crap was?" she asked as she held out a hand to Dwyn, who pulled her up and helped her step out of the tub. A towel appeared in his hand, which he handed her and she smile gratefully as she wrapped it around her. "So?" she asked again, her foot tapping in the floor.

"Welllllll," he said, seemingly trying to delay the moment of truth.

"Spill Dwyn," she growled.

"I sort of put a small spell on you and Damon," he said. "But I swear you're going to love it."

Syn couldn't help but return the unrepentant grin. It was impossible to stay angry with the idiot god. He usually meant well. "So, what exactly does this spell do?"

"It's awesome," he said with a grin, making Syn roll her eyes. "You can see, feel and experience everything the other is going through when it comes to sex."

"Run by that me again."

"If he gets turned on, so will you, if he jacks off, you will feel the orgasm, if he sleeps with someone you will feel what he feels and even see what he sees, and vice versa," Dwyn said with a triumphant grin.

Syn suddenly felt the urge to slap her cousin. Of all the crappy spells to put on them! She was now fricking connected to someone who was desperately in love with someone else. Fucking great! Outstanding! Her eyes narrowed as she glared at Dwyn, who gulped.

"Remove it, now," Syn growled. Dwyn shook his head. "Why not?" she huffed.

"Just because," he said stubbornly. It wasn't like he was going to tell her it had been her Dad's idea and the spell had been reinforced with her father's power so she couldn't remove it no matter how hard she tried.

"Fine, I'll do it myself," she said with a huff.

"You can try, but it won't work. Trust me on this," Dwyn said. "Why don't you just enjoy it? It's supposed to be fun."

Syn huffed in irritation. "Fun? How can it be fun sharing sexual exploits with someone who -," she suddenly stopped talking. "Dwyn, does the spell show you the other person's fantasies as well?"

"If that's what their thinking about, yes," Dwyn confirmed. Syn suddenly grinned. He had been fantasizing about her. Yeah, it had started off with Elena but he came to a fantasy of her. Oh, she could definitely work with this, she thought. Suddenly, she really, really liked Dwyn.

She was going to drive Damon insane. If he couldn't see her because of Elena, she'd show him exactly what he'd be missing. She looked at Dwyn. "Sometimes, you come up with some brilliant ideas," she said. He blinked at her sudden change in demeanor and looked at her suspiciously.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked.

"Oh, definitely. Now, fuck off," she said with a wicked grin. "I've got a vampire to seduce."


	7. Chapter 6

Syn debated on the fantasy she wanted to show Damon but, in the end, opted for something simple. She needed to start off slow, to reel him in. And she was also so hot from earlier on that she didn't think she would last long enough to create a more complex scenario.

So, she padded into the living room, dropped the towel to the floor and gracefully sank down to the black leather couch. She hooked one leg over the armrest, baring her heated flesh to the cool air, which made her moan.

She started building the image in her head. She saw herself exactly as she was, skin slightly wet from her bath, glistening in the moonlight, hair pulled up on top of her head loosely, with tendrils escaping and sticking to her neck, her lips puffy and swollen from biting on them, her gaze sultry and passionate. However, her fantasy included one element that wasn't present in reality and that was Damon. He was sitting across from her, in the arm chair, more lounging than anything, with one arm hooked over the back of the chair, while the other rested on his thigh.

He was fully dressed but she could see the outline of his erection through his jeans. He watched her intently as she brought her hands up, pinching her nipples. Syn groaned. Fuck, having him watch her was such a turn on, even if it was just a fantasy.

* * *

><p>Damon was trying desperately to fall asleep. He tossed and turned in his bed, yet his body refused to shut down. So, he turned on his back and began thinking of Elena and how much she meant to him. He sometimes wished he was more like his brother because maybe then Elena would have liked him more. Maybe she would have chosen him.<p>

He thought of his brother. He loved Stefan, even when he was trying to make his life miserable, and he would save Stefan. He would help him, even if it meant he'd never have a chance with Elena. In the end, family was more important than anything else. And he certainly didn't want to get the girl by default.

He thought of Elena and how innocent she would be in bed. She needed someone to be sweet, gentle and soft with her and he could do that. For her, he'd do anything, including setting aside his own needs and desires. When he thought of her, he saw and angel who was pure and needed to be cherished. Anything kinkier than the missionary position would probably scare the crap out of her. But he could do that. For her, he could do anything.

_Speak for yourself,_ his traitorous inner voice said. Shut up, he growled. He refocused on the image of Elena in bed and how he'd gently drive into her and watch as her eyes widened in wonder. His cock had started to manifest a little interest in the direction of his thoughts when another image overrode what was in his mind and his body was flooded with lust.

A woman sat on a black leather couch, naked, her skin wet and across from her sat a man, who was fully dressed. He gasped when he realized the people in this fantasy were none other than him and Syn. Fuck, he tried to change the direction of the fantasy, to replace Syn with Elena, but it just didn't work. It was as if it wasn't his fantasy. He refused to dwell on the notion that his fantasy of Syn was what had made him come earlier.

He watched as the woman slowly trailer her hands down her chest, until she reached her nipples and pinched, hard. She moaned, her hooded gaze raking over Damon, her tongue peaking out to lick her lips, to moisten them.

"Touch your clit," he heard himself say huskily. Her lips curled up into that wicked smile that made his cock salute and he watched as she trailed a finger down her body until she reached that little nub of flesh between her legs. Her head fell back as she began to gently massage herself.

"Damon, that feels so good," she whispered and his cock jerked.

Damon sat up in bed, his hands shaking with arousal. He threw the sheet off himself and grabbed hold of his erection tightly. He couldn't control the lust anymore, it was pounding away at his brain, trying to breach through walls he had erected to keep himself sane. It was eating him up, cell by cell, setting him on fire, making him ache and yearn for something he could never have. He allowed himself to fall back into the fantasy that was playing out in his head.

"That's it baby. You look so fucking hot," he heard himself saying as he watched Syn massage her clit with her thumb while she used a finger to fuck herself. Her hips were moving fractionally.

"Add another finger," he whispered and Syn complied, groaning loudly, pumping her fingers faster and harder. "Slow down, baby. We don't want this to be over too soon, do we?" he murmured as he traced the outline of his cock with a finger through his jeans. Even that light touch had him close to blowing his load as he watched her get off.

Syn complied, slowing down her movements but looked at him with that hooded gaze that melted his insides. "I want to see your cock," she moaned. Damon gasped in the fantasy and in reality, his cock throbbing with the need for release.

"What the lady wants, the lady gets," he heard himself growl as he undid the buttons on his jeans, freeing his cock from its denim prison.

"Fuck, baby, I love your cock," Syn moaned and Damon groaned. "Touch yourself," she whispered. "Fist yourself and make yourself come for me." Her words had him so close to the edge he was afraid he'd blow the top of his head off. He complied, his hand beginning to work his shaft as she watched her getting herself off.

Her hips were undulating faster, her cheeks were flushed, her lips swollen and red from where she had been biting them. Her chest heaved and he watched the rise and fall of her breasts with complete fascination. "Add another finger," he said urgently, knowing he couldn't last much longer, not with this view.

When she complied, she moaned loudly. "Shit, this feels so good," whimpered, her hips lifting off the couch as she pumped her fingers inside herself. Her gaze had never left his cock, though, which he found hot as fuck.

"I'm so close, baby, so close. I want to watch you come," he moaned as he felt his balls draw up, ready to release his seed when he exploded.

"I want you in my mouth. I want to know what you taste like," she breathed out. Her words served to inflame him even further and he knew he couldn't hold out any longer.

At that moment, Syn arched her back, let out a gasp and groaned, "Damon, I'm coming! Fuck, it's so good. So good," she said with a soft whisper. Her orgasm triggered his own and he watched himself come in powerful jets all over his shirt.

Watching the scene playing out before him had turned him into a raving maniac. He was desperate for release and when Syn started coming, it was as if he felt her orgasm in his body. And then his own climax ripped through him, his cum shooting out, landing all over his chest and the sheets.

He turned on his side and wondered what the hell had just happened. He felt drained but oddly at peace. He yawned and sank into a deep sleep.

* * *

><p>Syn stood, trying to stop the trembling of her legs. That had been one powerful orgasm. And that's just from thinking about him. Together, she knew they'd set the sheets on fire. Hell, they'd set everything on fire. She wasn't one for tradition when it came to sex. In fact, she liked hers with a heavy dose of kink and she suspected Damon did too, even if he was trying to be someone else for Elena.<p>

Well, she shrugged, he could fool himself only for so long. If he thought he'd be happy with a teenage girl in a vanilla relationship, he was seriously delusional. However, she knew it was something he had to figure out on his own. Telling him wouldn't work. He had to realize it himself and the best way for her to do that was to show him what it could be like.

A few hours later she received a call from Elena asking her to go over to Ric's apartment because they had something to show her. Apparently, they needed her input on something.

She knew Damon was there – she had heard him in the background - and she had dressed accordingly. Hot verging on slutty but not too slutty, she thought with a grin. Faded jeans with tears in all the right places, including under her ass, allowing her to flash some skin every now and then, topped her favorite pair of stilettos. A black dress shirt with the sleeves torn covered the top half of her. She had tied it just under her breasts, showing off her rock-hard abs and the belly button ring that seemed to wink at everyone in the sunshine. Her hair hung loose down her back, while she sported a feather earring that reached her shoulder on one side and a titanium dagger on the other side. She had lots of black and silver titanium bracelets on both wrists that jingled when she moved.

Since it was a warm day out, she decided to ride over on her bike. She liked feeling the wind in her hair and the sun warming her skin. When she reached the building, she parked and made her way up the stairs. She took a deep breath and knocked.

"It's open," she heard Ric hollering and grinned. When she pushed the door open, the first thing she saw was Damon, and desire hit her like a freight train. She felt herself grow wet and tried to control her breathing. Focus, Syn. Focus.

He was play-fighting with Elena. Presumably trying to teach her how to defend herself. Unfortunately, it seemed she kind of sucked at it. "Hi, guys," she said, her voice husky.

Damon turned to greet her and he felt his jaw drop and his cock rise to attention. "Hi, Syn," he heard Elena say. He couldn't utter a word. He was afraid if he opened his mouth he'd say something that would be wholly inappropriate, like "hi, let's fuck." He was sure that would go across really well.

"Hey Syn. Wanna come over here and look at these?" he heard Ric say, who was still obviously engrossed in the photos.

Then he felt the sting of a stake penetrating his skin. "Ow!" he shouted, looking down to see that Elena had managed to stick the stake in his shoulder.

"Sorry," she said, looking chagrined. Ric started laughing when he saw Elena had actually managed to get Damon but started to choke when he took a better look at Syn, who was strolling towards him, her hips swaying seductively. So, that's how Damon got staked. Syn could distract the dead. He sniggered at his own pun.

When she came up to the table and leaned over, he tried not to swallow his tongue. When her arm brushed his, he gritted his teeth. When he heard a low growl coming from behind him, he grinned and leaned in closer to her. Syn seemed to take no notice of the noise, so he started to explain what they had figured out about the Originals, which wasn't much.

They had discovered that werewolves had been around in the area for much longer than anyone suspected and the Originals had actually been among the original settlers of the area, hundreds of years before any of the members of the founding families had been born. And that Michael, the vampire-killer, who they were hoping could kill Klaus, was actually the father of the Original family.

"Look at this one," Syn said as she reached over to pick up a photo, her breast accidentally brushing against Ric's arm. It was completely non-sexual. There was no intention or purpose behind the movement. He knew that but still, his hands fisted as the area tingled. Damn, the woman would affect anything male, even a damn toad, he was certain of it. Another growl sounded from behind him.

Honestly, though, to see Damon so wound up about a woman was so worth it. He wondered what the vampire would do if he leaned over and gave her a kiss. Probably kill him. He wasn't quite that brave. But he'd definitely like to attempt the experiment at some point. Preferably in a way that didn't involve him dying.

"If the symbol of the necklace represents the Original witch, then this set of symbols seems to suggest that the hybrid killed the Original witch," Syn said, studying the photographs in front of her.

"That's interesting. In other words, Klaus killed the Original witch. I guess it would make sense since she was the one who curse him, but that doesn't help us much," he said with a sigh. "We need to find a way to kill Klaus."

"Why kill him? After all, he's not interested in killing Elena anymore."

"You mean besides the fact that he wants to build an army of hybrids and do the whole clichéd world domination thing?" Ric asked sarcastically. Syn laughed.

"Basically, yeah," she said.

"Because it's the only way to break the compulsion he put on Stefan. It's the only way I can get Stefan back," Elena said, grunting as she tried to attack Damon, failing miserably, of course.

"No, it's not," Syn said quietly, but Elena hadn't noticed so she decided to drop the subject for now.

"That was sloppy," Damon admonished.

"Hey, I'm new at this," Elena said indignantly.

"Not much of an excuse," Syn said to her. "You think a vampire's going to let you go because you're new at this?"

"But I am. And he's so much stronger and faster than me. What chance do I have?" Elena whined.

"Ric does just fine," Syn pointed out.

"Yeah, but –"

"First of all, you're going about it all wrong. You're trying to use speed and brute force, instead of using your head. You can never match up to them in speed and strength, but you can outwit them and that will give you the edge you need," Syn said with a shrug. She was about to turn back to the table of photos.

"What do you mean?"

"I'll show you," Syn said as she moved to take Elena's position in front of Damon.

"How's that going to help? You must be just as strong as they are," Elena said with a pout.

"True, but I can reign it in and fight like a human," she explained. "So, the first thing you need to do is to learn to control your fear, your natural instinct to panic. If you panic, then you're dead. If you let fear take control of you, your dead. You need a clear head to do what needs to be done."

"But what if I can't help it?" Elena asked.

"Simple, you die. The instant fear clouds your judgment, you will start screaming, scrabbling to loosen his hold around your throat while he drains you," Syn explained calmly.

Elena swallowed hard at the image that was very unpleasant. "What should I do instead?"

"Instead of panicking, you drop the stake you have hidden in your sleeve into your palm. Then you position it behind you and push up and left, or right, depending on the angle. Even if it doesn't penetrate his heart right away, he will let you go from the pain. If you're lucky, he'll drop to his knees, but even if he doesn't, you need to be ready with another stake to finish him. You'll need to forget your own pain, set it aside until he's lying cold and grey at your feet."

"Okay," Elena said with a gulp.

"How would you deal with a frontal attack?" Ric asked, now extremely curious. Skilled fighter, powerful beyond imagination, sexy as sin, funny and now a head for strategy. The woman was perfect, he thought with a sigh. Damon was lucky as hell. He only hoped the vampire figured it out before it was too late.

"Actually, I'd avoid it as much as possible. But if it were unavoidable then you need to remember that most vampires like to see the fear in their victims' eyes, so they'll stop to talk, trying to scare you even more. This is an advantage for you but you need to be able to distract him, so you can stake him. Of course, the best approach would be from a distance. Shoot some vervain darts into him then stake him in the chest when he's down." Syn said with a shrug.

"Will you show us some moves?" Ric asked and Elena nodded in agreement.

"I don't mind. What about you Damon?" she asked.

Damon blew out a long breath. He didn't know if this was such a good idea. He was on the razor's edge between lust so powerful it rattled his entire being and a rage he hadn't felt in forever. He was afraid that a fight would only drive him further over the edge and he'd end up hurting someone. He looked at Syn, trying to focus on her face. Seeing her standing next to Ric had affected him in a way he hadn't anticipated and was having a hard time accepting. He had felt the urge to bodily move her away from Ric. Even better, throw her over his shoulder, march her to the nearest bed and fuck and mark her until she and everyone else knew that she belonged to him.

Shit, this was not good. He didn't want her. He couldn't want her. Fine, maybe for a fuck, because he had not doubt that it would be great with her. But for more? Definitely not. He loved Elena. Sweet, defenseless Elena, who he could break so easily. Damn it, what was wrong with him?

"Damon?" he heard Syn say again and his cock stood to attention as if she'd just asked him to fuck her not fight her. He was so screwed.

He shook his head, to clear his thoughts and looked at her feet. "In those shoes?" he asked skeptically.

Syn just grinned. "Don't you worry about my footwear. I can still kick your ass," she said smirking at him. "And remember, a pair of stilettos can make a powerful weapon," she said to Elena who nodded in understanding. "So, you ready? Or are you going to chicken out?"

"Sure, I'm ready. Let's dance," he said with a smirk.

"What I'm going to show you now is known as Kali. It's a form of martial arts from the Philippines that teaches you how to attack effectively with and without weapons and how to move fluidly from one to the other," Syn explained, as she balanced on the balls of her feet, her body relaxed yet ready to spring into action. She watched Damon's every move carefully. He was circling her, much like a vampire would do to try and intimidate the prey.

However, she didn't let him slide behind her. She turned with him, making sure she kept them face to face. She saw his muscles tense, realizing that he was getting ready to rush her, so she dropped to the ground, extending a leg out and swinging it in an arc towards where he had been standing earlier. In the first ungraceful move Elena and Ric had scene from Damon, he fell to the ground, flat on his face. Syn was already straddling him, a stake at the ready, pointing upwards, positioned just under his rib cage.

Damon groaned. Fuck, she felt good straddling him. Yeah, she had knocked him on his face, but it was worth it just to feel her sitting on him. Only problem was that he wasn't sure how the hell we was going to get up without anyone noticing the massive erection trying to break out of his jeans.

"That was amazing," Elena breathed. "But I can't move that fast," she said wistfully.

"You can learn to," Syn said. "I wasn't using all my strength or speed. It's simply the way Kali teaches you to move. I highly recommend it," she said with a grin. Moments later, Syn realized she was still sitting on Damon and he hadn't moved either.

"Do you need a hand?" Elena asked, watching them strangely.

"No, I'm fine, thanks," Syn said as she jumped to her feet. Damon really felt like answering yes but it wasn't the type of hand Elena was offering. She'd probably slap him on the arm and berate him if he even joked about it. Or run away screaming in horror.

Damon got to his feet, a smirk planted firmly on his face. If anyone wanted to look, he really couldn't care less. He really was turning into a sap. Since when did he worry about propriety?

Elena's eyes widened and her cheeks reddened, clearly embarrassed. Of course, she had looked in the first place, Damon thought with a smug grin. Was that a little bit of desire he saw, as her tongue came out to lick her lips? Did interest suddenly flare up in her eyes? Was she breathing harder? Maybe, just maybe he could have her, even if just for a little while.

Then his gaze was drawn by a movement just to the left of Elena and what he saw made him want to explode. Only his stellar control stopped his face from vamping out completely. Syn's perfect ass encased in those jeans was wiggling at him as she and Ric leaned over the table, propped on their elbows, discussing something or other. Not only were they much too close to each other but Ric was staring down her shirt. Damon growled, for the third time. Fuck, he was turning into a caveman.

Elena watched him, surprise clear on her face. "Come on, let's see if they figured anything out," he said, trying to keep himself under control. She nodded and rounded the table, while Damon stood just behind Syn. "Discovered anything interesting?" he asked and, as he hoped, the two jumped apart. He didn't think he had been obvious at all when he positioned himself between Ric and Syn.


	8. Chapter 7

A few hours later, after it had been decided that Elena should approach Rebekah to learn more of the Originals, Syn sat in a bar, somewhere on the outskirts of nowhere. She had left Zarek to watch over Elena and wasn't worried about Rebekah. She would never go against her brother.

She picked up the bottle of Glenlivet that sat on the table in front of her and poured herself a drink. She picked up the glass and took a sip as she leaned back, propping her feet up on the table. She had chosen a table in a secluded corner, ensuring she was hidden in shadow. From her position, she could see the whole bar but couldn't really be seen. While she was usually the life of the party, she wanted some quiet time to think, to ponder the situation.

Maybe she should have stayed to listen to what the Original had to say but she already knew the story. The real story, which had absolutely nothing to do with a spell. She shrugged. Their real origins were, at the moment, irrelevant. Her job was to keep Elena alive, nothing further.

And that's what she didn't understand. What did her father want with Elena? How long was she supposed to look after her? She'd have to corner him this weekend and get the truth out of him. She hated being in the dark. If she knew more, then at least she would know whether to help eliminate the compulsion on Stefan and help kill Klaus or not. Like this, she was flying blind and she didn't like it.

Then there was Damon, the infuriatingly sexy vampire who made her weak at the knees and who was in love with another woman. If she had been anyone else, she would be asking herself if seducing him via a spell was the right thing to do. But she had a much looser definition of right and wrong.

And maybe she cared a little more than she should. She had moments when she despised Elena, even though she knew it wasn't fair, because the girl had a habit of hurting Damon. The fact that she kept on trying to change him also rubbed Syn the wrong way because that's exactly what made him so attractive to her. The way he was. Yes, he looked amazingly hot but after five thousand years of life, she'd slept with some of the most beautiful creatures in existence, both male and female, one at a time, many at a time and so on.

But none of them made her feel so much fire in her belly. None of them stood up to her as Damon did, even after he realized what she was. And none of them hid so much pain that it had made her ache for him when she had touched him and opened herself up to him. She had never thought to say this in her entire life but she knew she would do anything to take the pain away and make him see that he deserved so much more.

_You love him, don't you,_ she heard her mother's voice in her head.

_Mom, where are you?_

_Close enough to hear you thinking_, her mother replied. _So, answer the question._

_I really don't know. I think so._

_Is that how I brought you up? To hide from the truth?_

_No Mom. You're right. I love him. I don't know how it happened because he's such an irritating little shit sometimes and I've known him three days but I've fallen in love with him._

She could hear the tinkling of her mother's laugh. _Darling, your father and I knew each other for about an hour before we were already in bed together._

_Too much information, mother! _Syn said in a panic. _Anyway, the problem is that he's in love with someone else._

_Or he thinks he is, _her mother interjected. _I have faith in you, Syn. It will be a difficult road you both will travel, but trust me that it's worth it. He is a hard man, who has suffered much. He refuses to trust anyone because he expects to be hurt and disappointed. There will be many obstacles and you will have to fight for him and against him but in the end, you will be happier than you ever dreamed possible,_ her mother said, her voice warm and supportive, building a dream in Syn's mind, one she had been afraid to believe was possible.

_Will we have what you and Da have?_ Syn asked, her voice betraying her emotion. Her pronounced Scottish brogue swallowing up her usual accent was another sign that she was quite emotional, which was extremely rare for her. She was always in control. Always.

_Yes, my darling. And so much more, so very much more,_ her mother said and she could feel a warm hand cupping her cheek.

_Thanks Mom, _Syn said with a small smile. And then, to her great surprise, Damon walked in with Stefan. She retreated even further into the shadows and cloaked herself with a simple diversion shield. It would divert people's attention away from her. They would look straight at her but not notice her.

She watched the two brothers and had to wonder if her mother's meddling had anything to do with the Damon's choice of venue. She knew her mother was capable of moving the bar and slapping it right down in front of Damon if she thought it would get her what she wanted.

She poured herself another drink and relaxed, watching the two vampires drink alcohol and the waitresses. Surprising how Damon was the one to reign his brother in, stop him from killing, yet Elena always accused him of being the psychotic one.

She sat there for what must have been an hour, watching them, giving them time together to maybe rekindle their bond, even if Stefan was being an obnoxious prick. She had also spent that time trying to decide whether or not to reveal her presence. In the end, she decided to leave it up to fate by dropping her cloak.

The bar had filled up as it was quite late in the evening and already dark out. The music was blasting and people were dancing and milling about. The place was basically packed so, there was a distinct possibility they wouldn't even notice her.

She took another long sip of her drink and watched Stefan as he drank from a girl he had pinned against a wooden column. Syn shook her head. He was two seconds away from announcing he was a vampire on national television. Feeding in a packed bar was asking for trouble. She turned her attention to Damon, who was in the process of jumping on the bar to dance. She grinned. She really wouldn't mind dancing with him at all.

Suddenly, she found herself pinned up against the wall, a hand around her throat, with a fangy, snapping vampire staring her in the face.

"Well, if it isn't the bitch. Whatcha going to do now? Not so tough when I'm free are you?" Stefan snapped at her. Syn just rolled her eyes.

"You really do talk too much," she said hoarsely. She brought her hand up and touched his forearm gently. He was looking at her curiously when she directed her power, shattering the bone in his arm into a million pieces. He almost howled in pain as he let her go and bent over his injured arm.

She bent down to his level. "Don't ever touch me again," she growled straight into his ear. "Now sit the fuck down and shut up," she said, grabbing him by the shoulder and practically throwing him in the chair. She sat down and sighed when she saw her glass was on the floor and the bottle was empty. She called the waitress over, ordering another bottle and two glasses.

She studied Stefan as he sat hunched over his arm. It was probably healing by now, which could be as painful as having it broken. Moments later, he seemed to be feeling much better because he was now staring at her. So, she did what any predator would do when challenged, she stared back. She held his gaze until his fell away with the arrival of the waitress. Syn snorted.

She picked up her glass. "Cheers," she said to Stefan, who suddenly grinned at her. He picked his glass up and knocked it against hers.

"Cheers," he said and took a sip. "I must apologize for my behavior. I wasn't thinking," he said, his voice smooth, dripping with charm.

"Clearly," Syn replied. "Just remember there are bigger and badder monsters out there than you."

"I know," he said. "So, what's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" he asked with a cocky grin, changing the subject.

"That has to be the most clichéd pickup line in history. Does it ever work for you?" Syn asked, laughing.

"Well, not really. When I'm on the bunny diet I'm broody, boring and stuck to Elena like glue, though I'm not sure why and on my HB diet I tend to take what I want, when I want it. No need to use pickup lines," he said, his eyes twinkling with mischief and a little insanity.

"So, I should actually be feeling honored, right?"

"Definitely," Stefan said. "I like you. You're fun."

"Be still my beating heart. I might actually faint," she said sarcastically. Stefan laughed.

"As I said, I like you. Wanna get out of here? Go somewhere quiet?" he asked her, leaning over and playing with a lock of her hair. Syn just stared at him. Was he serious?

* * *

><p>Damon had a nice buzz going and was enjoying himself dancing with two girls on the bar when a familiar smell hit his nostrils. At first, he didn't know what it was, but when he scanned the bar and saw them, he felt the rage hit him like a storm.<p>

What the hell was she doing here? And when had his brother decided to put the moves on her? And why was she smiling at him? He got angrier and angrier until he found himself sitting at the table with them without realizing he had moved.

"Syn, spying on me, are you?" Damon asked, smirking. Nothing like sarcasm and going on the offensive to distract them from his real motivations.

"Sweetie, trust me, if I had been spying on you, you wouldn't have had any idea," she said with a wink as she patted his cheek. He wanted to nuzzle into her palm, wanted to feel her touch him with affection rather than sarcasm or humor. Crap! He had no idea where these thoughts were coming from.

"I was just telling Syn how enjoyable I find her company," Stefan said smoothly. Charming as always, Damon thought, wanting to stake his brother then and there.

"Really, Stefan? I thought the only female company you enjoyed nowadays were human blood bags that didn't talk. What changed?" he asked sarcastically.

"Syn isn't like other women," Stefan said without looking away from her. Fuck this shit! Even under compulsion and with no emotions, his brother was actually mooning over Syn. And she was smiling at him. No, no, no, not again.

Hang on a sec. Why the fuck did he care? If Stefan got together with Syn, then Elena would be free and he could have her. Grinning happily, he called the waitress over to bring him a glass. Stefan chose that moment to run a finger up and down Syn's arm and Damon suddenly saw Syn's body entwined with Stefan as he fucked her hard. She would be screaming his name, begging him for more, telling him how much she needed his cock. He snarled at the image in his head. No fucking way. This wasn't going to happen.

_What about your plan to get Stefan away from Elena? _His annoying inner voice asked. Shut up, he grumbled. _Just let Stefan have Syn and we can have Elena. _No. Elena needs to choose me because it's what she wants. _Are you sure this is about Elena? _Not anymore.

"No, she isn't," Damon finally said as he looked at her. She smiled at him and he thought he saw something in her eyes. It was there one moment but gone the next.

"She is sitting right here and she wants to dance," Syn said with a grin. She could feel Damon's jealousy and indecision beating at her. She needed to defuse the situation. She saw Stefan start to rise from the corner of her eye but she continued to look at Damon. "Dance with me Damon?" she asked.

Damon looked at her, his heart warring with his head. His heart said yes, but his mind said no. They loved Elena, didn't they? Syn couldn't be trusted. She'd hurt him. She'd abandon him. She'd betray him. It was inevitable. She was already talking to his brother, it wouldn't be long before they were fucking.

_She asked you to dance moron, with Stefan right here. She's ignoring him. Wake up and smell the roses, stupid! Now get your ass out there and dance! _He was starting to think he needed therapy with all this internal dialogue going on in his head. Maybe he should give that voice a name. At least he could insult it better that way.

"Well, are you going to keep me waiting? Or shall I dance with Stefan?" she asked.

"Go with Stefan. I'm not in the mood." Did he really just say that? _What the fuck is wrong with you?_ His inner voice shouted. He was going to call it George from now on. Shut up, George. _You are a cretin and I'm embarrassed that I'm part of you,_ George huffed at him.

Damon saw Syn shrug and Stefan grin widely. He gallantly helped Syn up and led her to the dance floor. Prince's "Kiss" came on and he watched Stefan lean in and whisper "Tango?" to Syn, who nodded.

Damon realized he was a masochist when Stefan pulled Syn against him, their bodies flush against each other, his hand on the smooth skin of her waist, her hand on his shoulder, their other hands entwined with each other. They were going to tango and Damon was going to kill someone. He just knew it.

He watched Syn as moved and swayed to the song. She was amazing. Unfortunately, his brother only thought he could dance, and he looked quite pathetic trying to match her. Fuck this. He was going to show Stefan how it was done.

Syn gritted her teeth, annoyed that she had been passed off to Stefan. She had nothing against him, except he didn't do it for her, on any level. She wanted Damon, Damon wanted Elena, Elena wanted Stefan and Damon, and Stefan wanted her. Damn, it was messed up. Besides the fact that he couldn't really dance, Stefan just didn't make her blood sing. One look from Damon, especially when he did "the eye thing", as Elena liked to call it, and she was a puddle on the floor.

"Steffie, sorry bud, but you can't dance and you're making things hard for the lady. Let me show you how it's done," she heard Damon say as he grabbed hold of her, spinning her around. Surprisingly, Stefan didn't put up a fight, opting to lean against the bar and watch them instead.

Syn had to hand it to Damon. He really knew how to dance. He spun her at the right time, he advanced and then retreated at the right moment, he lifted her against him, pushed her away, pulled her back in and crushed her against him perfectly. She could imagine what they looked like and she knew they looked hot together.

When the song ended, Damon stared into her eyes, desperate to kiss her, to feel her skin moving against his, but terrified to make a move. Some internal alarm was warning him that it would change his life forever. _Just kiss her, you moron,_ George snapped. Stefan's clapping, though, broke them apart.

"You guys looked great together," Stefan said with a grin, making Damon look at him suspiciously.

"Thanks Stefan. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go freshen up," Syn said with a wink. She turned and walked into the bathroom, needing a moment to get her body under control. She had been two seconds away from jumping his bones then and there. She stared in the mirror, trying to calm down. Suddenly, she felt an atrocious pain in her chest. "Damon!" she breathed and was out of the bathroom in seconds, stalking over to the jackass who thought he could hurt Damon.

She quickly assessed the situation. The guy had his hand in Damon's chest, wrapped around his heart, while he was questioning Stefan regarding Klaus, saying he was going to kill him. So, this must be Michael. She could rip his heart out. It wouldn't kill him but it would incapacitate him for a while. But she was worried about Damon. Ripping the Original's heart out might backfire.

Well, she guessed she'd just have to take Michael for a quick ride. She silently slid up behind him and grabbed his shoulder.

They were already porting out of the bar when she leaned forward and whispered in his ear. "Very big mistake, Michael. You never fuck with what's mine and Damon's mine." She kept him in the hazy space in between, the area where space and time folded, allowing her to travel infinite distances in the blink of an eye.

Michael tried to turn, to look at her. "If you move away from my touch, you'll be stuck here for all eternity," she said in warning.

"Who are you?" Michael asked.

"It doesn't really matter. All you need to know is that I can kill you with a thought but I'm much more likely to torture you for eternity if you pull a stunt like that again."

"What does one vampire matter in the greater scheme of things?" Michael questioned haughtily.

"You might be surprised, especially since you are not privileged to know the greater scheme of things," Syn tried to prevent herself from rolling her eyes. This guy really though he was the shit, didn't he? What an arrogant bastard!

The area around her began to fade in and out and she knew she needed to get back now. There was only so long one could stay in the space in between. So, she ported them back into the bar, a few inches away from their initial position so Michael's hand was a few inches away from Damon's chest.

"Now, I suggest you play nice or I promise I will spend the next decade ripping out your spine, over and over again," she hissed in his ear. And for good measure, to enforce her threat, she punched through his ribcage, into his back, grabbing hold of his spine. He groaned and gritted his teeth in agony. "Just in case you thought I was bluffing." He shook his head.

"I can kill Klaus. I will join you," he grated out.

"I don't give a crap about your son," she continued to whisper. "But you will help Damon and if you ever lay a hand on him to hurt him again, I will make sure that all you feel for the rest of eternity is the worst pain imaginable." She took her hand out of his back and released him. He turned instantly and watched as she licked her hand of his blood. Who was this girl that she wielded such great power and was so merciless?

"Now, I can find you anywhere and anytime," she said with a smirk, wiggling her bloody fingers at him. "By the way, you taste rather musty and stale. You really need a better diet. Maybe some exercise as well."

Damon and Stefan could do nothing but stare. While Damon was a little more used to Syn doing something shocking, Stefan had no clue, so he opened and closed his mouth a bit like a fish in water. The threats she made were quite creative, even by his standards and he had to admit that she scaring the shit out of people was something she made an art form out of.

They'd both cringed when she had punched Michael in the back. "I'm glad that's not me," Stefan whispered. Damon nodded. When he heard her warn the Original against hurting him, he felt his heart swell with a strange feeling. "I think she likes you," Stefan said with a grin. Damon looked at Stefan curiously. His brother was behaving strangely for someone with no emotions.

"To kill Klaus, I must find him," Michael said. "To do that, we need to find a way around the compulsion so Stefan can tell us his location." The brothers looked at each other and shrugged.

Syn sighed. This was not going to be fun. "Leave that to me," she said and they looked at her in surprise. She turned to Stefan. "Do you want to be free?"

"Yes," he said with conviction. "I want to be free to get out of here and do what I like."

"I do this but only on one condition," she said and Stefan nodded.

"Anything," he said.

"You take a blood oath that as soon as the compulsion is lifted, you will let me teach you how to control the bloodlust," she said. Stefan was about to open his mouth and be a dick, as he had so often of late but then he remembered what she had done to Michael and decided it would be better to just go along with what she wanted. After all, in the long run, it would be to his advantage to learn control.

"Very well. Hold out your hand," she said. A ceremonial looking dagger appeared in her hand, which she dragged across Stefan's palm. "Give me an empty glass Damon," she said. He handed her a glass, watching the proceedings in fascination. "Stefan, fist your hand and let your blood run into the glass. Now, repeat after me. With this blood sacrifice," she said.

"With this blood sacrifice," Stefan repeated.

"I swear to conquer my bloodlust and not leave until I have done so," she continued.

"I swear to conquer my bloodlust and not leave until I have done so," Stefan repeated. It was just words. He could do whatever he wanted after.

"The only way I can be released from this oath is to fulfill it or through death," she finished and Stefan choked. But at her glare, he repeated the words.

She took the glass and turned to Damon. "Fangs please," she said. He stared dumbfounded. What was she talking about. "Damon, drop your fangs please," she asked again. He did it instantly and stared like a moron when she stuck her finger out and just nicked it on one of his fangs. Fuck, that was hot.

He watched her finger as she withdrew it, a drop of blood welling up on her fingertip. He stared in stunned silence. It was dark blue but it smelled amazing and he eagerly checked his fang for any leftovers but he was disappointed.

She turned her finger, allowing the drop to fall into the glass. When her blood hit the contents of the glass, it caused a lightning storm in the glass, the blood in it bubbling up. As suddenly as it had started, it was over. "Drink half and I will drink half," she said, handing the glass to Stefan, who followed her orders. He took one gulp and was handing her the glass, when he tried to pull back, the look of ecstasy on his face telling Damon more than he needed to know. Even one drop of her blood was incredible.

Before he could drink anymore, Syn grabbed his hand and took the glass, drinking the rest. Stefan felt an invisible connection form between him and Syn, one that would let her knew where he was and what he was doing. He was so screwed this time, he thought to himself.

"Okay, now that the blood oath has been made, I can focus on the compulsion. It's best we get out of here, though, because it's delicate work and one mistake could turn Steffie here into a blood-sucking vegetable," she said smirking. Damon smiled, Michael laughed, Stefan glared. He stood right away, but Damon and Michael took their time.

"I'll go on ahead," Syn said. "I need to prepare. I'll see you at the boarding house," she said and Damon nodded. "Oh, Stefan, in case you get any ideas. I can find you no matter where you are and bring you back in seconds. The only difference is it will be a lot more painful," she warned him. Stefan just nodded.

"I won't run," he said.

"Good boy. Then I'll see you soon," she said as she ported out and back to the boarding house.


	9. Chapter 8

Syn stretched. She didn't really have to prepare at all but she needed some breathing space because she was close to jumping Damon and she wasn't sure whether or not he would appreciate it.

She looked at the clock and realized it would be a good hour before they got back. What could she do with a whole hour? So much, she thought with an evil grin. She climbed the stairs and waltzed into Damon's room. She could feel his mark on the room, feel his essence in the walls. It was oddly comforting.

She turned on the shower and removed her clothes. Stepping under the spray, she allowed the hot water to massage her. Just as she was about to start building a fantasy in her mind, she felt someone enter the room.

Rebekah. Interesting. She turned the water off and manifested a towel, wrapping it around herself. She stepped out of the shower and padded over to Damon's bed.

"You might want to get out of here if you still believe your brother. Your father will be here shortly," she said with no introduction.

"Who the hell are you?" Rebekah asked.

"Syn Lucas. It's lovely to meet you Rebekah," Syn said with a purr. She didn't have to be celibate while she waited for Damon to make up his mind regarding what he wanted. And Rebekah was beautiful.

"Still doesn't answer my question. And how do you know so much?"

"I get around," Syn said simply, as she lay on her side, her head propped up on her hand.

"Stop evading my questions," Rebekah growled.

"Then ask me questions I don't have to evade," Syn said with a wink.

"What did you mean about believing my brother?" she asked, looking like a lost little girl for a moment.

"I presume Elena already told you that Klaus killed your mother," Syn said and watched as the vampire crumpled to the ground sobbing. She sighed and stood, walking over to the vampire and kneeling next to her. Syn gathered Rebekah into her arms and held her as the girl sobbed her heart out, realizing she had lost her whole family and what she had believed for nearly a thousand years had all been a lie.

"How could I be so stupid?" she lamented, her arms going around Syn and holding on for dear life.

"We all make mistakes. It's hard to believe the people we love can do such terrible things," Syn said softly as she smoothed her hand over the girl's hair. "I've been around a lot longer than you and I still make stupid mistakes. Like falling for a guy who loves someone else," she whispered into her hair.

Rebekah pulled back slightly to look at Syn. "Damon?" she asked and Syn nodded. The Original looked into Syn's eyes and nodded. "You're strong. You're powerful. You'll win," she said confidently, laying her head back against Syn's shoulder.

"You're a lot more certain than I am," Syn replied with a small smile. Rebekah looked at her again.

"That's because I can see you, in here," she said putting a hand on Syn's heart.

"And everyone said you were a spoiled, selfish brat," Syn teased and Rebekah grinned.

"I know. I can be. But with you I feel comfortable to be me. Isn't that stupid? I just met you five minutes ago but… I don't know how to explain it. It's weird," the Original said, clearly perplexed.

"Weird good or weird bad?" Syn asked curiously.

"Definitely good," Rebekah said with a grin.

"Come on. Get up. Let's cuddle downstairs on the couch, with a nice bottle of whiskey and a fire," Syn said with a grin and Rebekah jumped up.

"Brilliant idea," she said with a laugh. "And I know where they keep the good stuff!"

"I knew we'd get along perfectly," Syn said with a grin. She dropped the towel, apparently to Rebekah's delight, who grinned and studied her appreciatively. The air around her shimmered and in moments she was wearing a pair of loose, black satin pants that hung low on her hipbones and a matching top that was held up with spaghetti straps. Her feet were bare and her hair was piled on her head in a loose bun.

"That is so cool," Rebekah breathed. "Can I have the same, too?" Seconds later, Rebekah was sporting the same look as Syn.

They made their way downstairs and were soon sitting on the floor together, in front of the fire, sipping on their drinks.

"What about Michael?" Rebekah said worriedly. "I've been running for so long, I don't even know how to talk to him anymore."

"Don't worry about Michael. He won't dare hurt you," Syn said.

"Are you sure?"

"I'll have a talk with him. I have excellent powers of persuasion," Syn said, wiggling her eyebrows.

Rebekah laughed. "Now that I can believe," she said. "Will you ever tell me who you really are?"

"We'll see. Maybe. Maybe not," she said with a shrug.

"It doesn't matter," Rebekah said softly. "You're the first person I've felt comfortable with in more centuries than I care to remember." Just then they heard the door open and voices. The boys were home.

"Damon, take Stefan up to his room, he'll need the rest when I'm finished," Syn called out.

"Yes, mistress," she heard the sarcastic reply and couldn't help but laugh.

"Careful, you're starting to sound like Zarek and he's been with me for a very long time," she replied.

"He's a saint," Damon grumbled.

"And you're a pain in the ass," Syn replied, the humor in her voice evident.

"If you two could quit the banter for a second, you'd hear me say that I'm fully capable of dragging my own ass up to my room, but first I'd like a drink," Stefan said as he walked into the dark room.

"If you turn the lights on, you're dead," Syn warned. He walked further into the room and the sight of Rebekah and Syn sitting together on the floor, drinking made for an extremely surreal tableau.

Damon walked in behind him and looked over to see what Stefan was staring at. Seeing Syn with Rebekah was no shock. The woman could charm a dinosaur, so it came as no surprise. "Ladies," he said.

"Hi Damon," Rebekah replied with a smile. Now that was odd. Rebekah being nice. Suddenly, the peaceful, comfortable image changed as Rebekah screamed. Michael was holding her up against the wall, his arm up holding a stake, bringing it down to plunge it into her chest. It was as if everything was moving in slow motion. One moment the stake was heading down towards the girl's heart, ready to end her life, the next moment it was lodged in someone else's chest. Syn was standing between Rebekah and Michael, the stake half-way inside her chest. She fell back against Rebekah, who held her tight.

"No, no, please no," Rebekah cried, holding onto her.

Damon gasped. "Syn!" he screamed. Fuck no, she couldn't die, could she? No, no, not now! Please, no! "Come on, Syn. You can't be dead. One crappy stake can't kill you," Damon babbled. Even Stefan looked sad, while Michael simply looked terrified.

A minute later, when they all thought she was really gone, Syn opened her eyes, much to everyone's dismay. She stood straight and slowly pulled the stake out of her chest. "My apologies for the delay but I haven't been stabbed with a white ash stake before so it took my body a while to understand how to heal from it. Next time, it will be instant," she said, quite formally. She turned and winked at Rebekah, though, who relaxed instantly.

"Now, Michael, that wasn't very nice of you, was it? You shoved a stake in me," Syn said, her eyes narrowing, her lips curling back in a snarl.

"I'm sorry, it was meant for the vampire," he stammered.

"You mean your daughter? Such a hypocrite," Syn said with a sigh. "What should I do about you?"

"I'm sorry, I've learned my lesson. I promise," Michael said, the fear in his voice evident.

"You now, I don't think you have. Unfortunately for me, they still need you to dispose of Klaus, otherwise I have a special place that would be just perfect for you. My problem is rather simple. I don't think you believed me so I must prove a point." She circled around him, tapping a finger against her lip.

"Rebekah, help me decide. Shall I rip out a rib, maybe a femur, or how about his spine? Or I could shatter every bone in his body. What do you think?" she asked the Original.

"Well, I'd say breaking his bones is a better idea. I'm really not in the mood to clean up blood," Rebekah said with a shrug.

"You make a good point," Syn said with a grin. And just like that she turned, put one hand on Michael, who instantly crumpled to the floor, screaming in agony. "He's a bit loud, isn't he?" so she snapped her fingers and suddenly there was silence. "Stefan, you mind taking him down to a cell please? I'd really rather not trip over him."

"Sure, no problem," Stefan said, being strangely agreeable. He picked up Michael, deposited him in a cell and was back in the room in less than a minute.

Syn lowered herself to the carpet and leaned against the couch, taking a sip from her drink. Rebekah sat next to her, on her knees, cupping her cheek. Syn looked at her curiously. "Thank you," she whispered. "No one's ever risked their life for me." She leaned in and brushed her lips against Syn's. She pulled back worriedly, wondering if she had gone too far.

"Tease," Syn murmured. Rebekah laughed and allowed herself to be drawn in when Syn pulled her down by her neck. Their lips met, opened, tongues stroked, got to know each other, passion built and soon they were moaning softly.

Damon stood still as a statue watching the display. He was vibrating with lust. Seeing Syn with another woman was his perfect fantasy come to life. For it to be complete, he'd have to be there with them, though. Watching them together had his cock so hard, he was afraid he would come right then and there. He seemed to be in a permanent state of arousal around Syn, which had grown even worse when he had walked in to see the two of them relaxing together but now. Well, now it was off the charts. Off any scale.

They pulled apart and looked at each other. "I'll be upstairs," Rebekah said softly.

"I'll sort Stefan out and follow you," Syn assured her.

"Can I come too?" Stefan asked. Damon snarled at his brother, baring his teeth.

"No," both women snapped at Stefan.

"I'll see you in a little while," Syn whispered as her lips whispered over Rebekah's. Damon gulped. He wanted to be going up with them. This wasn't just some sorority girl sandwich. He knew that this would be one of those sandwiches a man never forgot, even if he lived an eternity. It would be a life-changing experience.

_Bullshit! You barely have the balls to admit you want Syn, let alone make a move. Now you're think about two of them in bed with you? Are you finally starting to see the light?_ George, the pain-in-the-ass asked. Maybe, he mumbled. _Finally!_

Syn stretched as she turned back to them. She studied both of them and hid her grin. Damon was ready to jump her. Soon, he'd be unable to resist and he'd finally see what it was like to have a real woman stand by his side. Now, to deal with Stefan.

"Stefan, do you mind if we leave this for tomorrow? The stake in the chest took a lot out of me and I'd rather be focusing on something a little more enjoyable and a little less complicated."

"Sure, no problem at all."

"Great, thanks. Damon, got another of those bottles?" she asked. He nodded and handed her a bottle of scotch. She leaned into him and whispered, "you might want to go to bed soon." Damon swallowed and took a deep breath. When she propped a hand on his chest, apparently looking for something behind him, he shivered. When her hand trailed lower, towards his jeans, his cock jumped.

"Ah, here they are," he heard her say triumphantly. He had no idea what she had been looking for and didn't really give a crap. All he knew was that she was no longer touching him and he didn't like that at all.

"G'night boys," Syn said with a grin as she left the room, swaying those hips until Damon was holding on to the bar to stop himself from throwing her over his shoulder… Fuck, he had to stop thinking like that.

"Why don't you call Elena and tell her about removing the compulsion?" Damon said to his brother.

"Why should I? If you care so much, you do it," Stefan replied.

So, ever dutiful, Damon picked up his phone and called Elena, trying to prove to himself and the world he really loved her. When she answered, he quickly explained the situation to her, without giving her a chance to say much. Of course, she went ballistic, screaming about how they should have consulted her before making any decisions and so on and so forth. It was starting to get beyond irritating.

"You know what, Elena? I did you a courtesy of calling you. It's Stefan's life and his decision. You have no right to get pissy over what he wants to do with his life," Damon said, suddenly tired of the childishness.

"Fine," she snapped. "I'll come over in the morning and we'll talk then."

"Yeah, whatever," Damon said with a groan. He switched off his phone, grabbed a bottle of scotch and climbed the stairs. He threw himself on the bed and took a long swig from the bottle. He was staring at the ceiling but pretty soon the image changed and images of Syn and Rebekah, kissing, rubbing against each other, touching, sucking, drinking from each other assailed his mind.

He say Syn moan and arch her back as Rebekah licked her with long, languorous strokes. He watched her grip the headboard as she rode out her orgasm. He watched as she rose, in all her glory, opened the bottle of scotch and poured some in Rebekah's navel, which she then proceeded to drink. She licked, kissed and nipped lower and lower until she was between the other woman's thighs, causing her to moan and groan and eventually scream.

Damon gritted his teeth. She was a few doors away. She wanted him. That much he was certain of. And he wanted her with a desperation he had never before experienced in his life. Not only was he desperate for her but the images of her making love to Rebekah had driven him almost insane. He needed release, he was desperate for it. And this time, he'd get exactly what he wanted because it was time he stopped fucking around.

He waited a while, hoping they would fall asleep, so he could grab Syn out of Rebekah's bed without waking the other woman. Lucky for him, though, that Syn liked to prowl at night. He snuck down the stairs behind her and followed her into the living room, where she was pouring herself a drink.

Before she had a chance to pick up the drink, though, Damon grabbed her, whirled her around, pushed her up against the wall, slammed his body against hers, crushing his lips on her own. Syn moaned and arched her back, pushing her breasts against Damon's chest. He groaned in response.

"You've driven me fucking crazy since the second I heard your voice," he hissed. "I want you so badly, I'm shaking with need. I need to claim you, to mark you, to fuck you until you know there will never be another for you," Damon growled, not knowing where the words were coming from but knowing that he really did mean them.

"Then take me, I'm all yours," she whispered huskily, pulling his neck down to capture his lips with her own.


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: I'm so glad everyone's enjoying this story :D. And I'm especially tickled that you love Syn, especially since I know most of you weren't all that into the idea of Damon with an OC. Regarding the previous chapter, I'm sorry I ended it where I did but it was really late, I had been writing for most of the day and I felt I was too tired to really do the scene justice. So, I preferred to end it and post what I had, since it seemed long enough. And someone asked who I see portraying Syn and Lucifer. Regarding Luke, I'm not really sure yet, but for Syn I'll put a few links in my profile to give you a better idea of how I envision her. Again, thank you all SOOOO much and now, on with the show :D...**

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><p>Damon groaned, his hands spearing through her silky hair, holding her still as he devoured her. His tongue demanded entry into the warm cavern of her mouth and she gladly obeyed, parting her lips. She tasted of whisky and passion, of power and dark desire, and he knew it was a taste he could easily become addicted to. He tasted wild and untamed, of the sun and the moon, of storms and hidden passions just begging to be released and she knew she would never get enough of him. Now she understood how her parents had been together for so long.<p>

It was not a gentle kiss. It was brutal with all the pent-up lust and desire they both felt for each other. It was an explosion of sensation, driving their passion higher and higher to the point where they needed to touch each other or they would cease to exist. Tongues clashed, teeth knocked against each other, but they didn't care. It was what they both needed.

Syn tore at his shirt, ripping it open, struggling to get it off him. He was too busy touching her, feeling her silky skin, weighing her breasts in his hands, rubbing his thumbs over her exquisitely responsive nipples to help her.

"Fuck," he whispered, as his thumb brushed over something metallic. "What the hell?" He grabbed hold of her top and tore it down the center, ripping it off her in one smooth motion, baring her to his hungry gaze. Lush breasts stood high on her body, dusky nipples puckered begging for his touch, one of which sported a ring that gleamed in the firelight. "Fucking hell, that is so hot," he breathed as he tugged on the ring, making Syn gasp and arch her back.

Her skin gleamed golden in the firelight and Damon touched her gently, smoothing his hands over reverently. He banded one arm around her back, pulling her towards him so she arched backwards, her breasts pointing upwards, like an offering. He swooped down and gently tongued a nipple, drawing another moan from her lips. "Please, more," she whispered, when he continued to lave her nipples. At her plea, he sucked a nipple into his mouth, biting down gently. He was trying so hard to keep himself leashed. To keep himself in check so he wouldn't do anything stupid and hurt her. It didn't help that she was squirming in his arms and every movement caused her hip to brush against his cock, reminding him of the constricting denim prison he couldn't wait to be rid of.

"Yes," she hissed. "Harder." And he bit down, pulling a scream from her at the exquisite mix of pain and pleasure. If her hands hadn't lodged themselves in his hair and pulled his head down, keeping him there, he would have thought he had hurt her. He repeated the gesture on her other nipple and Syn reached out desperately, needing to feel his skin under her fingertips, wanting to know if she affected him the way he affected her.

"Shirt off. Need to feel you," she almost snarled and felt him shudder under her touch. He took a step back and had his shirt off in milliseconds. He swore he'd never moved that fast in his undead life but he just needed to touch her.

Syn held a hand up, stopping him from advancing. She sucked a harsh breath in, trying to control herself. Her gaze took in his sculpted chest and his pale skin that gleamed in the firelight. Her nostrils flared, the urge to use her tongue to follow the trail of hair leading into his jeans almost too great to control. He was magnificent, standing tall and proud before her. "You're beautiful," she whispered softly, meaning every word.

Damon laughed, a humorless sound leaving his lips as his eyes darkened with anger and pain. "I'm not beautiful, Syn. I'm ugly. I'm a monster. I destroy everything I touch. I'm a self-serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities. I -,"

Syn lifted a finger and gently placed it against his lips. "Shhh," she whispered. "You are beautiful, Damon, both inside and out," she said with conviction as she lay a hand over his heart. His pain made her ache. It broke her heart. It made her want to rip out the throats of those who had hurt this amazing man. "You are no monster. I have known monsters and you are not it by a long shot. And I happen to like the psychopath in you but you have plenty of redeeming qualities."

"No, I don't," he denied softly.

"You do and I would love nothing more than to point them out to you, but I have a big problem," she said with a sultry smile.

Damon swallowed hard. She was blind. She didn't know him but for this one moment in time, he'd allow himself to believe. To believe that someone saw him as more than a monster. "What?" he asked softly.

"I need your cock inside me so desperately that I'm going to explode if you don't fuck me right now." Damon was already moving, pulling her against him, the soft moment over as the liquid fire of lust exploded in his veins again. Skin to skin, it was like having an electric current running through them.

Syn licked and nibbled down his neck, biting hard on his carotid artery, making Damon gasp. "Shit," he moaned. She continued to nibble and lick his skin, making him tremble with need, so much so that he hand't noticed she had been backing him up towards the fireplace.

With a wave of her hand, Syn manifested a large, black fur. Another wave of her hand and they were both naked. She pushed Damon down to his knees. "Lie down, let me touch you. Let me show you how beautiful you are," she said softly, her hand smoothing his hair away from his face as he stared up at her.

Damon groaned, wrapping his arms around her waist tightly and resting his head on her stomach. "Woman, you are blind," he mumbled but he couldn't help the warm feeling suffusing his body. "You're the beautiful one. But I'm not complaining," he whispered. If this was a dream, he didn't want to wake up from it.

Syn lowered herself to her knees in front of him and pushed him backwards gently. He followed her lead and lay down. She sat back and looked at him. He was exquisite, she decided, as her gaze ran over his pale skin that was in stark contrast to the silky fur beneath them. She followed that trail of hair she had found so fascinating with a single finger, until she reached his erection, which she could now study at her leisure.

He was beautiful and big. She actually blinked in surprise. She had been expecting him to be well-endowed. After all, she had been in his head and she had ogled him plenty of times, but it seemed they both underestimated him. He rock hard, with engorged veins running up his shaft to the dark red head, which was weeping with precum. He was slightly curved and Syn began to tremble at the thought of that amazing hard on driving into her.

Syn's mouth started to water as she studied him, so she dipped down and quickly licked up a drop of pearly fluid. Damon gasped, his fingers curling into the fur. She moaned at the taste of him. It was wild, primal and so very Damon it made her shudder.

She turned slightly, so she could lean over him, softly kissing his lips. When he tried to deepen the kiss, she moved away, kissing down his neck, over his chest, her silky hair trailing over his skin. With her lips and tongue she coaxed his nipples to pucker for her and gently bit down on them.

Damon arched his back, his body and senses being assaulted. He was going to overload and short circuit any moment now. Her teeth, her hot little tongue, the light touch of her silky hair were all driving him way past the point of sanity. He wanted to bury his hands in her hair, drag her up and kiss the living daylights out of her. He wanted to wind her hair around his hand and pound into her body until they were both screaming. But he had to be gentle, so he sank his hands into the fur, curling them even tighter.

Syn felt him tense beneath her but after thousands of years of reading her enemies, learning to predict their next moves, she knew Damon was trying to restrain himself. She could feel the rigid control he was exerting over himself and she didn't like it. She licked down his stomach, following that trail of hair she had found so fascinating earlier. His breaths were coming out as pants but other than that, he didn't make a noise. Didn't move, didn't even twitch.

She blew across the head of his cock and he gritted his teeth. She licked him and he hissed. She sucked him into her the hot recesses of her mouth and he let out a keening sound that made her desperate to feel his touch, to feel him pounding inside her as he played with her clit. She trembled. Yet Damon was still rigid, still unmoving. "You know, you can let go, Damon. I won't break," she said to him. He just shook his head and she growled.

Damon trembled. His whole body was on fire. This woman was sending him over the edge and if he lost it, he'd tear into her, rip her apart his need was so great. He wanted to hold her down while he rammed into her with all his strength and speed. He wanted to sink his fangs into every bit of exposed flesh, leaving his mark on her. He wanted to watch her come from his bite alone. Fuck, how could one woman make him so fucking insane? She was driving him up the wall! And he was afraid she'd never survive him.

Syn's nostrils flared angrily as she watched the play of emotions on Damon's face. She didn't even have to delve into his mind to know what he was thinking. He wanted to take her, he wanted to dominate her, as his nature demanded but he was afraid. He was so convinced he was a monster and that he'd hurt her, he was afraid to let go. She was going to kill Elena and Stefan, after she tortured them for a long while.

She sighed. It would take time for him to learn to trust himself. For tonight, she'd let it go, though. But not for long, she thought, as a plan was already hatching in her wicked, wicked mind. She returned her attention to his cock, bending over, swirling her tongue over the head, slowly sucking him back into her mouth. His hips started to pump involuntarily as he groaned, his eyes tightly shut.

"Look at me baby," she whispered. She loved seeing his eyes. They were so beautiful, so expressive.

Damon's eyes flew open and the sight of his cock disappearing between those luscious lips was almost his undoing. Fuck, but this woman was out of this world. "I need you," he rasped. "I need inside you."

Her quick intake of breath assured him she wanted the same thing. "Then take me," she said softly. Damn woman was goading him but he refused to hurt her. So, he sat up, picked her up gently and positioned her so she was sitting astride him. He lay back down and looked up at her.

"Ride me baby," he said hoarsely.

Syn looked down at him and her heart softened. She knew what it must cost him to keep himself under control, to submit. He was a natural dominant, both as a man and a vampire and it warmed her heart that he cared so much about her safety that he'd go against his very own nature. Didn't mean she didn't want to torture the people who had convinced him he was a monster.

She took hold of his erection, positioned herself and slammed herself down on him. They both screamed in ecstasy. Fuck, he felt good. So big, almost tearing her in two, so good, so deep.

"Fuck, baby, you're so tight, so hot, so good," he moaned, his head spinning as her channel rhythmically pulsed on his cock.

She started to ride him. Slowly at first but soon she was slamming herself down as hard as she could, moaning in ecstasy, her head thrown back, her body quivering and trembling. She felt Damon's hips join in her frenzied rhythm and she smiled but moments later cried out when he grabbed of her hips with almost bruising force and started to pound into her. She could feel it, she was close, so close to falling over the edge.

"Damon!" she cried. "Your cock feels so good inside me. Fuck, don't stop, please…" she trailed off.

Damon looked up at her, wanting to tell her that he'd never stop. That he'd always be hers. But he couldn't. So, he watched her, his gaze caressing her body, in an attempt to memorize this moment. To remember the moment when someone as amazing and wonderful as her had wanted him. Soon, though, all logical thought left him as he approached that precipice, the one who's edge he didn't yet want to plunge over. But he had little choice in the matter, other than to make sure they came together.

He delved into her heat, finding her clit hot and pulsing begging for his touch. He pressed softly against it and she moaned, arching her back. One, two, three more thrusts and she was shattering around him, screaming his name as she came. Her muscles clamped down so hard on him that he literally saw stars and he experienced one of the most powerful climaxes of his life as his seed shot out of him like liquid fire.

She fell forward, on to his chest, curling her body around him. He couldn't move. He simply stared at the ceiling, unmoving. He didn't know if it was the shock of the time spent with her or the fact that he was completely and totally drained but he couldn't move a muscle. His eyelids drooped and he gave up trying to keep them open. A few moments later, her heat disappeared but was replaced with a sheet, and he could feel the smoothness of his sheets replace the fur from before. His head was cushioned agasint something soft, so he turned his head and nuzzled into it when he realized it was Syn's chest.

She trailed a hand through his hair and he just lay there, like deadweight. It must have been ten minutes later, when he heard her soft voice. "Damon? You awake?" she asked. And even though he was, he didn't want to ruin the magic of the moment, didn't want her leaving him. So, he kept quiet, his breathing even, his eyes closed.

"Oh, Damon, if you only knew how much you mean to me, how much I care about you. Me. The woman who has scoffed love for so long, my parents were convinced they'd have to have another child to continue the line," she spoke softly. So softly that even with his vampire hearing he was having a hard time hearing her. "And then I met you and turned my world inside out in three days. I got to know you through Elena's memories and I fell in love with you. I fell in love with all of you, the good, the bad and the ugly. Maybe someday… Maybe someday I'll tell you how I feel when you no longer look at Elena as if she's your sun and moon. But in the meantime, I'll always be here for you, no matter what. Good night Damon. Sweet dreams."

It took all the control Damon had learned in over 150 years as a vampire not to betray the fact that he was awake. Part of him wanted to jump up, hug her and tell her that he wanted to be with her. Another part of him, though, held back, reminding him that he didn't have a good track record when it came to feelings. And then there was Elena, the girl he loved but could never have.

Damon drifted into a deep sleep, his thoughts on the girl he loved and the woman who loved him. He didn't question why he turned and wrapped an arm around Syn's waist, holding her tight to him, before he allowed himself to drift off. He didn't wonder why he smiled when he felt her soft hand run through his hair. And he certainly didn't ask why Elena's sad face morphed into Syn's laughing visage in his dreams.


	11. Chapter 10

Damon opened his eyes the next morning, wondering why he was feeling so strange. Then all the memories came crashing back into his psyche and he couldn't help the wide grin that graced his features. His face fell, though, when he found himself alone in bed. Damn it! Women always… _Look to your left, stupid, before you insult Syn,_ George commanded. Even his inner voice was on her side, Damon grumbled. He was out-fricking-numbered.

And then he saw the glass of blood on his nightstand and the note propped up next to it. He picked up the note and read:

_Morning sleepyhead! You looked so cute in your sleep, I didn't have the heart to wake you. But don't get your panties in a bunch. Rebekah and I will be out back, enjoying some fun in the sun, possibly pummeling your brother while we're at it._

_Love,_

_Syn_

_P.S. You owe me a morning quickie._

By time he finished the note he was grinning like a moron from ear to ear. He flashed out of bed, had a shower, gulped down the glass of blood and was dressed in under two minutes. He was downstairs in a flash, stopping for a moment to listen to where everyone was. Michael was still in his cell, while everyone else seemed to be out back.

He strode outside, his gait relaxed and confident. He didn't want to give away exactly how eager he was to see her, to make sure she was real. The sight that greeted him was more than a surprise. Syn, Rebekah and Stefan were sipping coffee, sitting in lounge chairs around a pool.

"Since when do we have a pool?" Damon asked in surprise, as he made his way over to them.

"Since the weather report this morning," Stefan said with a grin.

"Huh?" Damon asked, not getting it. "Hi, babe," he greeted Syn with a soft smile, bending over to brush his lips against hers.

"Hey," she replied with a warm smile.

"So, what's the pool story and is there any coffee left?" Damon asked, pulling up a chair and getting comfortable. Syn waved her hand and a mug of steaming hot coffee appeared in front of Damon. "Thank you, this smells amazing," he said with an appreciative groan.

"Well, apparently it's going to be really hot out today and Syn thought it might be a good idea to relax around the pool," Stefan explained.

"Then Stefan mentioned that there was no pool, and Syn told him there was. They spent the next 15 minutes arguing like five-year olds," Rebekah said with a laugh. "Of course, when we got out here, there was a pool because madam doesn't like to lose arguments."

Syn poked her tongue out at Rebekah. "Not true. I would have done the pool thing anyway because I like to swim. So there," she said and everyone laughed.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Damon asked, looking at Syn.

"Well, I guess first on the agenda is to free Stefan of the compulsion. After that, it's up to you," Syn said with a shrug.

"Maybe we should get everyone together and discuss what the next step should be," Damon said. "Michael's here so I guess we just have to find Klaus and kill him."

"I don't know," Syn said with a sigh.

Damon looked at her strangely. "What do you mean?"

"Something just isn't right. I'm not sure what but I'll get back to you when I know," Syn said with a shrug. "I fancy a swim before I start playing with Stefan's brain. Anyone else wanna join me?" she asked as she padded over to the pool and shrugged out of the simple white sundress she was wearing.

Damon's jaw hit the floor when he saw the barely there black bikini she was wearing. That thing couldn't be called a swimsuit. It was three handkerchiefs held together by tiny golden chains. He had a sudden urge to get a sheet and cover her up. It would probably piss her off, though, so he did the next best thing.

He flashed up to his room, changed into a pair of trunks and was back outside just as she was surfacing from her dive. He dove in and surfaced right next to her. "I always pay my debts," he said with a smirk.

Syn threw her head back and laughed. "I'm very happy to hear that," she said with a wink. "I hope you're not the type to drag your feet though."

"If you come over here, I'll pay up right now," he said waggling his eyebrows.

"Mmmm, kinky. I like that," Syn purred as she swam into his arms, her legs circling his waist, his hands cupping her ass and holding her against him. He felt so good and she was pleasantly surprised to see that he hadn't brushed her off this morning. She had spent most of the night and morning worrying about how he would react to her. Would he act as if nothing happened between them? Would he regret it? Which was why she had been stunned when he had come down and kissed her in front of Rebekah and his brother. But she had a bad feeling his mood would change drastically soon enough, so she was going to enjoy these moments with him.

"I thought you would," he said with an unrepentant grin, his lips crushing hers, his tongue demanding entry into her mouth. She moaned and he swept his tongue inside her mouth, tasting her, teasing her, drawing her tongue into his mouth. Damon groaned as his cock strained against the fabric, desperate to get inside her, to feel her gripping him. "What are you doing to me woman? I can't stop wanting you. And last night only made it worse. I want to tie you to my bed and never let you go."

"Now that's an interesting proposition," she said, her voice husky. "The tying to your bed part I mean."

Damon groaned again, his cock practically rebelling at being so close to her but not being allowed any more than that. "You are definitely going to kill me."

"You know you love it," she whispered, her lips so close to his, he was inhaling her breath.

"Do I?" he breathed back, his tongue coming out to lick the corner of her mouth.

Syn moaned. "You know you do. Mmmm, I was thinking," she said, a wicked glint in her eye.

"What about?" he asked, looking at her curiously.

"Have you ever had your cock sucked underwater?" she asked innocently. She heard someone sputter.

Damon's eyes widened. "Fuck, fuck, fucking fuck."

"We aren't deaf over here, you know," Stefan shouted.

"Then maybe you shouldn't be listening to other people's conversations. Anyway, I'm sure Rebekah doesn't mind. In fact, maybe she'd like to join me," Syn asked indirectly. Damon coughed, his brain coming to a complete stop.

"Oh, I would love to," Rebekah purred, as she stood.

"What about me?" Stefan asked indignantly.

"Ask Elena. Maybe she'll do it for you," Syn said with a shrug.

"Maybe I'll do what for him," Elena asked as she stepped out in the yard with Ric on her heels.

Syn held her breath, waiting to see what Damon would do. "Brilliant fucking timing," she heard him grumble. "We are definitely continuing this later," he said, looking at Syn.

"I'd love to," Syn purred and just to stake her claim, she leaned forward and kissed him. Of course, in moments they were moaning and groaning as they tried to devour each other.

"Get a room, you two," they heard Ric say with a laugh. They broke apart and grinned at each other.

"Come on, let's get out. You have guests," Syn said. Damon was out like a flash. Vampire speed and all that. Syn, on the other hand, was definitely trying to kill him. She rose out of the pool gracefully, looking like the perfect wet dream. He darted a quick glance at Ric and Stefan. They were both staring, their mouths hanging open. A growl escaped him and they both turned to look in different directions. He grinned. That's better.

He glanced over at Elena and was surprised to see a frown on her face, her lips pressed into a hard line as she stared at him. What the hell had he done now?

"Since when do you have a pool?" Ric suddenly asked and everyone started to laugh, except Elena who was still glaring at Damon. He shrugged and sat down. She seemed to be in a constant mood these days and there wasn't much he could do about it.

He glanced over at Syn who was drying herself off with a fluffy towel. When she finished the towel disappeared and she wrapped a sarong around herself, though she was still showing too much skin for his taste. He cocked his head, realizing he could watch her do mundane things all day long and not get bored. At that moment, her gaze locked with his and she winked, bringing a smile to his lips.

He crooked a finger at her, patting the space in front of him, as he opened his legs, making room for her. She smiled and sashayed over to him, her hips swaying so enticingly that Damon had trouble controlling himself. He wanted to grab her, run up to his bedroom and keep her there for the foreseeable future.

She lowered herself gracefully, pulling herself up so that she was leaning against his chest, her ass pressed tightly against his crotch. She wiggled her ass a little and he groaned. "Little tease," he whispered in her ear. She looked at him over her shoulder with an innocent expression.

"Elena, you're like a black cloud. Sit down and chill out," they suddenly heard Stefan say. Everyone looked at Elena, who was still giving Damon dirty looks.

"Well, everyone seems to be ignoring me, so what's the point?" she asked in a huff.

Damon sighed. "No one's ignoring you Elena. Just sit down and relax. We've got Michael, as you know, so now we just need to find Klaus."

"This isn't about Michael and you know that!" she said in a huff, arms crossed over her chest, foot tapping on the floor.

"So, then what's this all about?" Damon asked, tired. He loved her but he wanted to wring her neck sometimes.

"You let Stefan out without speaking to me about it. Why did you do that?" Elena demanded.

"Because Lexi's plan wasn't working," Damon said with a shrug. "And I wasn't going to watch my brother rot in a dungeon." He felt Syn squeeze his hand and was grateful for her silent support.

"Thanks, bro'" he heard Stefan say.

"But it worked before," Elena pointed out. "He just needed more time."

"You're that sure?" Damon asked.

"Yes," she said stubbornly.

"It doesn't matter. He's out now and it worked out for the best, right bro'?" Damon said as he looked at Stefan, who nodded in agreement.

"Why are you asking him? He's got no emotions and is under Klaus' compulsion. He doesn't know what he wants."

"I beg to disagree," Stefan interjected. "I know exactly what I want and that's to be free."

Damon looked at Elena curiously. "Why are you so angry, anyway? Isn't this what you wanted? Stefan is going to be free of Klaus without any danger involved because we don't have to kill him."

"What do you mean we don't have to kill him?" Elena practically screeched. "He'll still have a hold over my life, even if Stefan is free. What about me?"

That's when Syn spoke up. "I would prefer if no one attempts to kill Klaus before I have time to do a little digging."

"Why? What's going on?" Elena asked, her voice cold when she spoke to Syn.

"Just a feeling," Syn said with a shrug, eyeing the girl curiously.

"Can't you do any better than that?" Elena asked in a huff.

"Elena, why are you acting like this?" Damon hissed at her. She was having a hissy fit with Syn who was protecting her. What the hell was wrong with the girl?

"Great, you're taking her side?" Elena practically screeched.

"No, I'm not," Damon said, shaking his head. He felt Syn stiffen against him and sighed. Why him? Really, why him?

"Yes you are. You're starting to act like before. You don't care what I think. You do things without speaking to me. I wouldn't be surprised if you were out killing people again. I really thought you had changed from the self-serving psychopath you used to be," Elena said as she glared accusingly at Damon.

He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. He was hurting too much. Even though she didn't want him, she had a way of making him feel like a piece of shit, even after the wonderful night and morning he'd had.

"Elena, shut the hell up and leave Damon alone," Stefan growled at her.

"No, he can be a better person and he knows that," she insisted.

"I'm going to ask you nicely once, Elena. Leave Damon alone," Syn said quietly.

"No, Syn. You don't know him like I do. I know what he could be, if he tried. But instead, he chooses the easy way out. Instead of dealing with the pain of Rose's death, he went and killed someone. Instead of accepting he made a mistake, he killed Ric. Instead of accepting that I chose Stefan over him, he killed Jeremy," Elena drew a deep breath.

"Are you finished?" Syn asked her, while she studied her nails, which had grown and resembled claws rather than normal human nails. She was trying really hard to keep herself under control or she was going to rip the girl apart herself. Especially since she could feel how rigid Damon was behind her.

"Not yet! And now, instead of being patient with me and …"

"Elena!" Ric growled warningly, trying to stop Elena from the direction she was going down. What was wrong with the girl? Baiting Damon was one thing, but even he could see that Syn was getting angrier by the second.

Damon was cringing behind Syn. This was what he had dreaded. Syn finding out exactly what a monster he really was and wanting nothing to do with him. He should have learned after all this time that monsters like him don't get a happily ever after. Hell, they don't even get happy-for-a-week.

"…and continuing to protect me and be there for me, he disappears and apparently, now he's sleeping with you!" Elena finished indignantly, ignoring everyone else but her own irritation.

Syn had had enough of this crap. Damon didn't deserve this shit, especially because he was trying to be happy for once and the pathetic little human couldn't deal with it. She rose gracefully to her feet and that's when she heard Rebekah say, "Want a hand? I'll hold her down and you can rip off her fingers one by one." Syn smiled.

"Nah, she's not worth it, but thanks for the offer, honey," Syn said.

"Are you going to let them talk about me like that?" Elena demanded, her hands on her hips while she glared at Damon.

"Elena, I tried being nice but apparently I was too nice and I gave you reason to believe I'm stupid," Syn said, her tone cold as ice. "I asked you nicely to leave Damon alone but you wouldn't listen. And please don't give me the crap about wanting him to be a better man. I find it very curious that you're quite happy he's a vampire when you need someone to get your ass out of the fire you landed it in, but otherwise you expect him to be your little dog, performing tricks as you see fit."

"That's not true! He has good in him, he still has his humanity and I just want him to be a better person. What he does is wrong," Elena insisted.

"Really? By whose definition? Yours? Who gives you the right to determine what is right and what is wrong?"

"Yes, by my definition, because I'm still human. I haven't forgotten what that's like!" Elena practically screamed.

Syn laughed, a cold and sinister sound. "Human? Darling, I'll have you know that humans have perpetrated some of the worst deeds in history, much worse than any vampire or other creature. So spare me the speech about humanity."

"No, that's not true. Humanity is the only thing that's stopping him from becoming a cold-blooded killer."

"How old are you Elena?" Syn asked.

"What's that got to do with it?" Elena asked.

"Just answer the question."

"I'm 18," Elena said.

"How old is Damon?"

"170, I think," Elena mumbled.

"Do you see where I'm going with this?" When Elena shook her head, Syn rolled her eyes. "Okay, let's try this another way. How old do you think I am?"

"I don't know."

"Guess."

"I don't know. As old as Rebekah?"

"I'm a little older than that. Actually, I'll be celebrating my fifth millennium next year," Syn said, and everyone behind her gasped, except Elena who was looking rather lost.

"5,000 years," a voice who sounded quite like Ric whispered from behind her. Elena's eyes widened.

"Yes, Elena, I've been around for 5,000 years. I've seen and done things that would give you nightmares for the rest of your life. I've watched friends and loved ones fall in battle while we fought to protect humans, who then turn around and destroy each other. And I've met monsters, Elena, real monsters that would make the blood in your veins freeze. Damon is no monster. He is a vampire, a predator, and he can control himself better than most. He is a good man and you use that against him. He shouldn't have to change for you to be his friend. If you really care about him, you would accept who he is. You would try to understand him better. I'm not saying he's perfect, but no one is, neither you nor me, and at least he doesn't manipulate people while pretending he wants the best for them." Syn took a deep breath. Elena's eyes had gone wide by this point.

"And I like him just the way he is. No, actually, I _love_ him just the way he is, whether he's ripping someone's throat out or worrying about how to save your ass while attempting to reunite you with Stefan even though he loves you. And I promise you one thing, if you ever treat him like dirt again, I will forget that I'm here to protect you and I will teach you a lesson myself. You're an 18 year old child, Elena, what the hell do you know about life?" Syn just shook her head and turned away, looking at Damon, who refused to look at her, keeping his eyes trained on Elena. Damn, she'd gone too far. She'd let her mouth run away with her and Damon clearly was still in love with Elena and she'd hurt her.

"I'm sorry. I know you love her. I promise, I won't stand in your way. I'll be leaving, as soon as I finish with Stefan. Don't worry, Zarek will stay and make sure Elena is safe," she said to Damon, her back straight. "I'll meet you in your room Stefan," she said quickly, porting instantly into Stefan's room.

Rebekah appeared with Stefan in tow a minute later. "Take me with you, please," the Original pleaded.

Syn smiled softly, "I couldn't leave you behind if I wanted to. Come here, Stefan. Sit down."

"But what about the blood lust?" Stefan asked. Syn looked down at him, realizing she'd forgotten that one aspect. She wouldn't have time to teach him to control it.

"I can rewire your brain, basically giving you the control you need, but it will hurt like a son of a bitch," she warned.

"Fine," he said grimly. So, she sat him down, closed her eyes, placing a palm either side of his head. Within moments, what looked like a blue hologram of Stefan's brain appeared above his head. Syn opened her eyes and looked at it. Using her fingers, she enlarged the hologram, manipulating it, turning it, as she looked for something.

A red spot, near the bottom of the cortex was what she was targeting. She enlarged the area even further, until she was looking at it at a molecular level. That's when she began to work, moving one molecule, exchanging it with another, sliding one synapse to the left, another to the right, and so on until an hour later, she was satisfied.

She rolled her neck as she took a step back. "Okay, that's sorted the compulsion. How do you feel? Any pain?" she asked Stefan.

"No, I feel great. In fact, it's as if a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Though I am really hungry," he said. Syn looked down at him and saw that he seemed a bit pale and shaken. She held out her wrist.

"Drink from me," she said. He looked up at her in surprise.

"Are you sure? What about Damon?" he asked.

"First of all, I'm feeding you, not fucking you. Secondly, my blood will help with the blood lust because it is more potent than plain human blood. And thirdly, I'd rather you didn't pass out because I'm about to play with your brain and it's going to hurt like fuck. My blood will help dull the pain. Now feed," she said.

Stefan sank his fangs into her wrist gently, almost with reverence. This was a gift that he instinctively knew few had the opportunity of receiving and for once, he wasn't going to be a dick about it. He drank his fill, which was surprising in itself because Syn looked fine. But her blood was so potent, he honestly had no idea how much he'd taken. It was enough, though, to make him feel like a high like he'd never before experienced.

"Ready?" she asked Stefan and he simply nodded. As before, she turned the hologram, until she located the area she needed to work on and then magnified it. After another two hours of rearranging synapses, neurons and molecules, and Stefan's groans of pain, as well as a few bruises left by his fingers when he had to hold onto something because of the pain and her legs were the closest, she was finally done.

She stepped back and smiled at Stefan. "I'm done," she said softly. That's when she felt her knees buckle and she started falling to the ground. Both Rebekah and Stefan caught her and she laughed softly. "My heroes."

"Are you okay?" Stefan asked, looking worried.

Syn turned her head and looked him in the eyes. "You never fully turned your emotions off, did you?"

"How did you know?" he asked quietly.

"You're asking me that after I've been picking your brain apart for the past three hours?" she asked and he chuckled.

"No, I didn't flip the switch completely," he acknowledged.

"You're stronger than you think. You just need to forgive yourself for the past and be brave enough to face the future. Wallowing in guilt will only hurt those you love," that she meant Damon was understood. "I need to rest before I can 'port. This is really irritating. I'm never this weak," she grumbled.

"Come on, I'll look after you," Rebekah said, lifting Syn into her arms.

* * *

><p>Damon was stunned. He was in utter, total and complete shock at what Syn had said to Elena, in front of everyone else as well. Elena had looked shaken and Ric had wanted to take her home, but she had demanded Damon drive her.<p>

Out of habit, he had obliged, his mind still frozen in time, replaying Syn's words. She insisted that he come in and, as usual, he had complied. It was curious that she now wanted him in her house, now that there was someone in his life.

She sat on her bed, sniffling. "Syn said some horrible things," she said. "I know part of what she says is true. But I'm only trying to help you be a better man. I care about you Damon. You know that, don't you?"

He looked at the dejected creature huddled on the bed and he softened. "I know Elena. I know you care but it's not enough and it never will be."

"Damon, please don't go. I've already lost Stefan. I don't want to lose you too."

"You haven't lost Stefan. You'll soon be back to your epic love," he said with a grin. "You don't need me."

"Yes, I do," she said adamantly.

"I'm sorry Elena, but we can't keep going around in circles. You are my friend and I will protect you but that's it. I need her, Elena," he said simply and she looked up at him, tears in her eyes.

"I really messed things up, didn't I?" she said, when she saw the truth in his eyes.

"Kind of."

"I'm so sorry Damon. I didn't think. I'm such a mess," she cried. "I don't know what I want anymore and I end up doing and saying stupid things!"

"Don't apologize to me, Elena. Stefan's the one who will have to forgive you. Not me. Now, I have to go," Damon said, standing up to leave.

"Please, stay a little longer," Elena pleaded.

"No, Elena. I'm not letting Syn go, no matter what," he said and disappeared.

"What have I done?" she whispered alone in her room.

* * *

><p>When Damon walked into the boarding house, his heart constricted. It was so quiet. Had he missed her? Why hadn't he said anything? Why had he seen Elena home when he should have been in bed with Syn, showing her exactly how much she meant to him? Because he was a moron who couldn't let go, even when he had the best thing in the world staring him in the face.<p>

Just then, Stefan came down the stairs, looking surprisingly well. "Damon, you're back," he said.

"Did Syn…" Damon trailed off as he motioned towards his brother.

"Not only did she lift the compulsion but she also hardwired my brain to allow me to control my bloodlust. It was painful as hell, but worth it," Stefan said with a grin.

"That's great, bro'. Is she… is she still here?" Damon asked.

"Yes, she's in Rebekah's room resting. It took a lot out of her. They're leaving together," Stefan said.

"Over my dead body," Damon grumbled. Stefan looked at him surprised.

"Finally waking up, brother?" he asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that there's an amazing woman upstairs who defends you and fights for you, yet you take Elena home instead of being here with her. I'm sorry, but I just don't understand you. Do you love Elena that much?" Stefan asked, curiously. He remembered his love of Elena, even felt it sometimes, but what he had seen lately from her, he couldn't say he liked. As Syn had said, though, she was only 18.

"That's the thing Stefan. I don't know anymore. I took her home because I'm just so used to doing whatever she wants," Damon sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"But what do you want?"

"Syn," he said simply.

"Then go and be prepared to grovel. After her earlier display, I would be groveling for the next century, at least," Stefan said with a grin.

Damon snorted. "If you really knew her, you'd be groveling for the rest of eternity. And being under her for the rest of eternity is sounding more and more attractive by the second," he said to Stefan, who laughed. "Now, excuse me, I have to start groveling." So, Damon ran up the stairs and straight into Rebekah's room.

Syn was in bed, cuddled up to Rebekah, her head on the Original's chest, her back to Damon. "Is there room for one more?" he asked.

They both looked up at him and Syn's smile was so bright it warmed his heart. "For you, always," she whispered. He quickly took his shoes off and slipped under the covers, next to Syn. She pulled him closer to her, until he was flush against her back. He smoothed her hair as he looked at her in wonder. He looked up at Rebekah, who smiled encouragingly at him.

"Please don't go," he whispered.

"Why not?" Syn asked.

"I need you," he said. It wasn't quite what Syn wanted but it was a hell of a big step in the right direction and a lot more than she had expected an hour ago.

"I'll stay for a while longer," she said and Damon fought the urge to grab her up and hug her. He had one more thing to say.

"I wanted to thank you. No one has ever defended me in my life and certainly not so eloquently or so passionately. I just wanted you to know that it…" he trailed off, his voice breaking.

Syn turned over, planting a soft kiss on his lips. "It's okay Damon. I'll always defend you," she said softly.

Damon looked into her eyes and feared that if he opened his heart completely to her, she would be the one he would never recover from. Her betrayal would destroy him. He knew that they could be truly epic together or a complete disaster. And he was afraid to let go, afraid to have his heart truly and irrevocably shattered. He knew what he felt for Syn now made what he had felt for Elena and Katherine seem pale by comparison. And he knew it was just the beginning.


	12. Chapter 11

Damon slowly opened his eyes, surprised to realize he had fallen asleep in the middle of the day. His head was still resting on Syn, with one of her hands tangled in his hair. It was oddly comforting, he thought with a small smile. A quick glance in her direction showed that she was fast asleep.

Rebekah was still with them, sleeping with her head on Syn's stomach, curled up around her protectively. Syn's other hand was tangled in Rebekah's hair and it struck Damon how utterly odd the scene was but how comforting at the same time. Even in sleep, Syn wanted to protect everyone.

What was more bizarre, he decided, was the fact that Rebekah's hand was resting on top of his, which lay on Syn's thigh. Her delicate, but deadly fingers curled around his palm, as if to keep him there. And it felt good. He was afraid to ask himself how he'd gotten so lucky that his life had changed so drastically in a mere three days.

But, to be honest, now he was just waiting for something to go wrong, for the other shoe to drop. It was hard for him to believe that something good was finally happening to him and cynicism and skepticism had been his best friends for so long, he wasn't sure how to let them go just yet.

Suddenly, a scene started playing out in his mind. It was as if someone had turned on the TV and he was watching it but it was all in his head. He couldn't seem to control it and at first it frightened him.

He saw himself standing against what looked like a rock wall, his arms above his head, locked in manacles. He noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt and had wild look in his eyes. He kept on pulling on the manacles, trying got break free, snarling in anger when he was less than successful. It wasn't an image that made him all that comfortable, until somehow he was transferred into his own body within the dream …

_Damon yanked harder on the chains, snarling in anger and desperation. How could they do this to him? They said they loved him, would always care for him. How could they? He tugged even harder, frustration marring every line of his tense muscles._

"_There is no way you are getting free from those chains, so stop struggling. Hephaestus himself forged them and they're strong enough to keep a god contained let alone a vampire," Syn said to him. He growled in anger._

"_How could you?" he hissed at them. "Traitorous bitches," he snapped at them when they laughed._

"_Isn't he feisty?" Rebekah purred._

"_Definitely. I like angry Damon," Syn said with an equally wicked tone to her voice. _

_They stood in front of him, facing each other. They both wore corsets, matching thongs and thigh-high boots. The only difference was that one was light while the other dark. Rebekah's corset was a blend of ivory and gold satin, while her boots were the same ivory color as her corset. Her blonde hair was piled high on her head, with loose tendrils escaping to frame her face. She sported a pearly white leather collar around her neck, with a leash affixed to the metal ring in the center. The image of sensual innocence she projected was in complete antithesis to the predator she truly was._

_Syn, on the other hand, lived up to her name, wearing a red and black leather corset with a metallic sheen. Her boots were black and laced up the sides with satin ribbon. Her hair was pinned up in a loose bun and, like Rebekah, red and black tendrils escaped the hairdo, framing her face, brushing against her neck and curling around her breasts. Around her neck she wore a black and silver titanium choker, showing two dragons facing each other, forming the setting for a blood red ruby. _

_He watched as Syn tugged on Rebekah's leash, pulling her in for a scorching kiss. He redoubled his efforts to go free, the molten lust hitting his senses fueling the adrenaline that zinged from one cell to the other, giving him more strength than he could imagine. Yet, the fucking stupid manacles wouldn't give. He couldn't even rip them out of the walls. His eyes narrowed, his lips curled back in a snarl as he glared at the two women. _

_They were completely focused on each other, plump lips open wide as their tongues entwined in mid-air, and their bodies flush against each other, rubbing, squirming, caressing. He watched as Rebekah's lips traced Syn's jaw up to her earlobe and then down her neck. She circled Syn until she was behind her, pulling her tight against her body, a finger trailing up the goddess' arm, drawing a soft moan. She cocked her head, giving the Original plenty of room. Rebekah inhaled deeply and her features changed as her fangs erupted. She grazed Syn's neck as they both stared at Damon, whose every last muscle was straining in his effort to escape his prison. _

_Rebekah licked Syn's carotid artery. Damon snarled. Syn moaned, a hand coming up to hook around Rebekah's neck, holding her close. Rebekah ran her teeth gently over the area. Damon growled. "Tease," Syn whispered._

_Rebekah's teeth sank into Syn, who arched her back and cried out in obvious pleasure. Damon roared. He couldn't take it anymore. He had to get free. A moment later, though, Rebekah withdrew and both women smiled at him._

"_Damon, relax or you're going to hurt yourself," Rebekah admonished._

"_We promised a night that was going to be all about you, remember?" Syn purred._

"_Yeah, but I don't remember when either of you mentioned the fact that I wouldn't be able to touch you," Damon snarled, still irritated he couldn't get hold of them. He was so turned on, his cock so hard and desperate that he was pretty sure his cock could have easily broken those damn chains. _

"_Baby," they both whispered as they approached him, Syn on his left and Rebekah on his right. "We just want to make sure you don't forget about us while you're off visiting Stefan and Elena," they said, gluing themselves to his body, their lips seeking and finding his neck. He trembled. He was still angry. He shook as tongues swirled on either side of his neck, blunt teeth biting lightly. He threw his head back against the wall, eyes shut tightly, hoping that the stinging pain would cool his ardor, calm the raging inferno of lust that had taken over his body. _

_Lips, tongues and teeth, kissing, nipping, swirling and soothing across his chest, down to his nipples, and lower still, until they met the barrier of the jeans he apparently still wore. He jaw was clenched so tight by this point he'd be surprised if he ever manage to speak again._

"_You taste so good," Syn moaned appreciatively, making Damon open his eyes and look down at her. The sight of both of them on their knees in front of him, looking up at him adoringly made him shake with emotion._

"_How the hell could I ever forget you?" he asked, shaking his head at their utter stupidity. How could they possibly think that? _

"_You're going to see Elena," Rebekah said with a pout. Damon just looked at her as if she'd gone insane._

"_That doesn't even deserve an answer," he huffed and then wondered if being a smartass at that precise point was such a brilliant idea. _

_Luckily for him, Syn and Rebekah chose to ignore his comment and focus on a far more interesting piece of his anatomy, namely his cock that was practically pleasing to be released from its denim prison. In moments, his jeans disappeared and he was standing stark naked with a goddess and an Original vampire at his feet. He watched them lick their lips and descend on his cock at the same time, their tongues licking down either side of his shaft._

"_Fuck!" Damon hissed. When they clamped their lips against the sides of his cock, like suction cups, he grabbed hold of the chains connected to the manacles. When they moved up and down his cock simultaneously, his eyes crossed. When they started to alternate, one going up and the other down and sucking the head into their mouths when they reached it, his knees trembled and he squeezed the chains harder. _

_When they kissed each other, the head of his cock held safely in the warm cocoon their mouths formed, their tongues dueling with each other and swirling around him, he pulled on the chains. When Syn deep-throated him and Rebekah sucked and licked on his balls, he cried out, pulling harder on the chains. _

_When they picked up the pace, with Syn moaning around his cock, he could feel the vibrations down to his toes and he roared as his come shot out of him and down her throat. At the same time, the ferocity of his orgasm gave him the strength to pull the chains free with a resounding crash. The girls shrieked as they jumped to their feet, backing away from him warily._

_He leaned against the wall, trying to regain the ability to move and think. When his limbs stopped trembling and he was sure he could walk without making a fool of himself, he looked up at them, his eyes menacing, his lips curled into a snarl._

"_You've been bad girls," he hissed, he said as he took a step forward, the chains clattering behind him. He looked down in irritation and the manacles fell away, freeing his wrists. He looked back up. "As I was saying, you've been very naughty," he murmured, licking his lips, the predator in him enjoying the sight of them backing up, the smell of their fear, which was heavily overlaid with arousal. "So, what should I do with you?" he asked them._

"_Punish us?" squeaked Rebekah. He threw his head back and laughed. Fuck, he loved their games. They were so hot! Syn just stood there proudly, her eyes flashing with lust, daring him to tie her up and spank her, to ram his cock into her so hard and deep they wouldn't know where he ended and she began. She always dominated, even if it was from the bottom. Rebekah, on the other hand, was surprisingly sweet and submissive, preferring to submit to Syn first, and Damon second. She never liked to be the aggressor. _

_Damon flew into action, pouncing on the two of them…_

And that's where the fantasy stopped, much to Damon's annoyance. He quickly looked at Syn and Rebekah, who were still sleeping soundly. He was worried he had been moaning out loud and might have woken them. He tried lying still but his whole body burned with lust and having the two stars of his fantasy in the same bed with him was not helping. Fuck, fuck, fuck! How the hell had he come up with that scenario? _Well, it's was certainly fucking better than the Stefan impersonation you were trying to pull before, _George said with a snort. You again? _Yeah, me, the most awesome inner voice in existence! _Shut the fuck up! Damon snarled. _Not until you do something about our cock. It's so fucking hard it's painful and seriously, that fantasy was like the fucking BOMB! I was worried you were turning into a sap but I must say you restored my faith in you. _

George was right. He needed to do something about the hard on that could be used as a coat rack, never mind the fact that every inch of his skin was so sensitive, a brush of a hand would have him coming in his pants. He looked at Syn and was sorely tempted to wake her, but she had seemed so tired earlier, he couldn't bring himself to disturb her.

So, he moved slowly, making sure he didn't wake the girls, until he cleared the bed. In seconds, he was in his own room, throwing his clothes off, falling on the bed, his cock in his fist. As his mind replayed the events of the fantasy that had but hadn't been his, he squeezed the shaft of his cock harder as he pumped faster and faster, remembering how Syn and Rebekah had looked up at him as the kneeled before him. Fuck, he hadn't known he was so turned on by being dominant. When his memories returned of them sucking and working his cock, his back arched as his hips began to move, pumping faster and harder. He was so close, just a little more and he'd fall over the edge of sweet release.

And then, he felt something that made his eyes fly open and look down. He had felt a pair of lips circling the head of his cock, a tongue swirling. But there was no one there. Just his imagination. Then the sensation came again but it didn't let up this time. Fuck, a ghost was blowing him while he was jacking off. He groaned. He didn't give a crap at that moment, he was too desperate for release and that mouth was doing amazing things, including sucking him so hard he was convinced his brain was going to shoot out of his dick along with his cum. His muscles tensed, his fist squeezed, his back arched, his cum shot out of his cock and he growled a "Fucking hell!" as his orgasm roared through his body.

He fell back on the bed, his body softening in exhaustion. It was unbelievable what Syn could do to him. And just like that, with a single thought of her, he was rock hard again. He groaned, burying his head in his pillow.

* * *

><p>"Fuck, that was so hot," Rebekah murmured. Syn tried to calm her breathing.<p>

"Damon jacking off or the little fantasy?" she asked. Syn had projected the fantasy to Rebekah while she had been weaving it as well as the show of Damon jacking off and what she could feel. Dwyn hadn't been kidding when he said she'd be able to experience everything he did and see everything he did sexually. His orgasm had both her and Rebekah moaning in pleasure. It was so strange to feel someone else's orgasm, but no less pleasurable.

"Both," Rebekah said. "You are one evil woman. You're going to kill him with lust."

Syn laughed. "I want to get him so horny that he simply reacts. I want him so desperate for a fuck that his instincts take over and he cuts this crap about holding himself back." She had told Rebekah about the spell Dwyn had placed on the two of them and had also revealed her problem with Dmaon's fear of hurting her.

"Are you sure lust overload is going to be enough to break Damon? I know he's pretty tough," Rebekah said with a small shrug.

"Well, the only way to convince him I won't break is to get him angry enough to fight me, but really fight me," Syn sighed.

"Yeah, I can really see Damon getting that angry with you… Never in a million years. You're going to have to come up with another plan," Rebekah said with conviction.

"Crap! Sex after fighting is so damn amazing," Syn said with a pout and Rebekah laughed. "Oh, I know," Syn said suddenly, her eyes brightening. "Every year, all the Pantheons and pretty much all the Otherworld comes together for the Blood Games, which I enter all the time but I wasn't going to go because of Elena. I didn't think she could take it."

"What are the Blood Games?" Rebekah asked curiously.

"It's basically fighting to the death," Syn said with a shrug. Rebekah gave her an odd look. "It's quite a big thing, with participants from across the galaxies and the realms. They change the prize every year but it's usually something attractive enough to draw thousands of hopefuls. "

"But would it be fair, pitting you, for example, against a baby vampire, considering you have some pretty awesome powers?" Rebekah asked curiously.

"No, it doesn't work like that. The games are all about proving your skills in the arena as a fighter so it's only physical combat. If you use your powers during a fight, you are instantly teleported to a torture cell where most quickly see the light. Trust me, you don't ever forget a stint in one of the Blood Games torture cells," she said with a shudder.

"I take it you've been in one," Rebekah asked in a weirdly gruesome kind of fascination even she didn't understand.

"A couple of times," Syn said. "I learned my lesson though," she said with a laugh. "Anyway, I'm thinking it would be the perfect opportunity to show Damon that I won't break. What do you think?"

"I'm really not sure. I have a feeling he would go ballistic if he heard what you want to do," Rebekah said with a shrug.

"That's why we won't tell him. I'll just tell everyone we'll be attending and I'll slip away after everyone's seated."

"Are you sure about this, Syn?"

"To be honest, I have an ulterior motive for wanting to attend," Syn said with a small sigh. "I've been reigning champion for the past century, ever since Mom told Dad he was too old to play with the kiddies," she said with a laugh. Rebekah giggled. "Anyway, it's a title I like to keep because as long as it stays with our Pantheon here on Earth, other planets keep their hands and invasion plans to themselves."

"Okay, I'm totally confused now. You're talking about aliens? And what does have to do with gods and goddesses? And the supernatural?"

"It's complicated. And I'd probably need a week to even scratch the surface but, in a few words, the Tuathans, or those you refer to as gods as goddesses, are a race of extremely powerful beings whose sole purpose is to nurture and guide life on all the planets in the universe. If there is a chance a planet can hold life, a Tuathan is assigned to it to begin the process. As it evolves, more and more Tuathans are sent to guide and monitor, as well as defend against more advanced civilizations."

"Okay, uhm, that's freaking incredible," Rebekah gasped. "So, you're a Tuathan?"

"Got it in one," Syn said with a grin.

"But why do you need the Blood Games title? Aren't you all the same race?"

"And that means what? We're just like any other race or creature. There's the good, the bad, the ambitious, the greedy and so on and so forth. And since humans are still very, very low in the pecking order of the universe, defending this place is a full-time job."

Rebekah's mouth formed a perfect 'O'. "So, that's what you do all day?" she asked.

"Pretty much. What? Did you think I spent all day drinking, screwing and partying?" Syn asked with a smirk.

"Well, kind of," Rebekah said, a bit embarrassed.

Syn laughed. "Hell, I wish I had a few days like that every year. It would make things so much easier. To be honest, my time here has been the quietest I've had in forever."

"What do you mean?" Rebekah asked.

"Well, to explain this properly, we're going to have to go into a bit of history. Long ago. We're talking millions and millions of years here. So, long ago, when the Tuathans first took on the role of caretakers of life, there were those who believed we shouldn't take such a passive role, that we should rule and enslave creatures who were beneath us. Unfortunately, that would have meant every living being and it was something we were adamantly opposed to. That didn't stop the rebel faction from breaking away and growing into something that perverts and corrupts life. They lead by force, they command, order and enslave, creating civilizations that thrive on pain, torture and suffering." Syn took a deep breath.

"Holy crap, that doesn't sound good. Basically, you're telling me that there are beings out there with your powers but Klaus' mental 'stability'?" Rebekah asked worriedly.

"Oh, no! Beings a shitload more powerful than me. Remember, I'm young for a Tuathan and my powers haven't fully developed yet. They'll be growing and evolving for at least the next 2,000 years. Anyway, that's beside the point. The idea is that I, along with my cousins, do double duty. We protect the Earth from others who would invade, while also being part of the Tuathan army that keeps the Krag from taking over the whole universe. Basically, there's a big ass war going on up there, and I'm stuck here protecting a pissy little girl with an attitude problem," Syn said rolling her eyes.

"Okay, I suddenly feel very small," Rebekah said. "So by winning the Blood Games, I'm guessing it keeps the attacks on Earth to a minimum, allowing you to focus on fighting against the real big bad?"

"Pretty much," Syn said with a grin.

"So, when are the games?"

"They start tomorrow and run for a week," Syn said. "They're held in the Gaming Realm, which was created by the Tuathan High Council to ensure fighting of any kind is impossible outside the cages. It's actually pretty cool. If you hit someone, the damage is inflicted on you, not them. Same with any other form of violence, whether physical or magical. It's actually a great place for Elena. No matter how hard she tries, she can't get her ass into trouble."

Rebekah laughed. "That girl is a serious trouble magnet. And she can be beyond irritating."

"Fucking hell, don't I know it. It irritates the crap out of me every time she shits on Damon only to be him to help her save 'insert name of weakling here.' And he's in love with her and puts up with all her shit," Syn said, frustration and irritation giving her voice a rough edge.

"I know and the only reason I haven't ripped her head off yet is because I try to remind myself she's 18. I thought I knew it all at that age as well," Rebekah said with a small smile.

"Careful, you'll ruin your reputation if anyone finds out how levelheaded you really are," Syn said with a laugh. "But, yeah, you're right. I know she's 18. Ugh, maybe you should just give me a swift kick if you see me go off on her again."

"Actually, no. Everyone in her life is either desperate for her approval and affection, trying to keep her alive or both and no one stands up to her. Her parents are dead as well any other adult she looked up to and now she's surrounded by people who want to please her. She really does need someone to show her she isn't quite as important as she thinks she is and that she still has a lot to learn."

Syn stared at Rebekah. "Wow, I had no idea you studied Elena that much."

"She reminds me of me at that age. If I had had someone like you looking out for me, my life would have turned out much better. But better late than never," Rebekah said with a grin.

"Thanks sweets. But I'm no paragon of virtue. I'm no role model. I wouldn't have gone ballistic on her over Damon."

"Syn, you did the right thing. I've been here for a while and everyone has tried to tell her, gently, that she's being selfish and egotistical when it came to Damon and she basically said everyone was crazy. Until you said it straight to her face, no one had the balls to call her out like that."

"Alright, change of subject for a second. Since the games start tomorrow, I'm going to have to 'port over to the Gaming Realm to sign up. Because it's last minute, I'll probably be gone all day because we'll need accommodation and a ton of other crap sorted but I need to get going right now or I won't make it. Can you and Stefan handle gathering the rest of the crowd?"

"Sure, don't worry about it. Stefan and I can handle it. What about Damon?"

"I'll pop in now and tell him I've got to go but I'll need you to explain the details. Otherwise he'll start imagining things."

"Stop worrying so much," Rebekah said, poking her tongue out at Syn, who simply laughed.

"Okay, well as long as Elena comes with us and maybe Ric, who I'm sure would enjoy the trip, everyone else doesn't really matter. I'll be back to get you all around noon tomorrow, okay?"

"Fine! Now go. Stop being such a worrywart," Rebekah said laughing as she shooed Syn out the door, pushing her in the direction of Damon's room.

Syn padded over to Damon's bed, where he was lying on his stomach, fast asleep. "Damon," she whispered. No answer. "Damon," she tried a little louder. Still nothing. "Damn it, Damon, wake up!" she tried much louder.

"Wha-? I'm awake…" he mumbled. "What is it?" he asked without opening his eyes or turning over. This would have to do or she'd never make it in time to register.

"Damon, I have to leave for a little bit. I have something to take care of but I'll be back tomorrow to get you and everyone else, okay?" she said softly.

"Perfect," he said with a small smile as he snuggled into the pillow. Syn couldn't help but laugh. She didn't know if he actually heard her but he really did look too cute. She 'ported out of Damon's bedroom and straight into the hustle and bustle of the Gaming Realm.


	13. Chapter 12

**A/n: Okay, so I'm going to have to admit to something that might be considered heresy in some circles. I'm seriously starting to like Stefan, especially after the last episode of TVD. Oh, don't get me wrong, he still doesn't hold a candle to Damon but I've gotten to the point where I'd feel bad if Stefan ended up getting hurt. I mean he saved Damon! On the other hand, I'm still mighty irritated with Elena.**

**So, right now, I'm thinking that either Stefan and Elena should stay together *insert teeth gnashing here* and Damon gets a new love interest, preferably one that isn't a kid who think she knows everything. Or, even better, they both get new love interests :D... Yes, you can start bashing and flaming me if you like.**

**Anyway, the point is that Stefan is going to get the nice treatment from me from now on. Damon will still be the star, as always, but I'm definitely going to do the brotherly bonding thing and Stefan's going to get a girl of his own eventually in all my stories :D... Come on, guys, he's a bit of fun without his emotions and he SAVED DAMON! That makes him AWESOME in my book. And he didn't even want them to know... :(... **

* * *

><p>Damon paced the living room in a bit of a panic. She had said noon and it was already three in the afternoon. He had already had a huge shock yesterday when he'd realized she said she was leaving. He had been sleeping so deeply he hadn't known what she was saying. He had just been enjoying the sound of her voice. He had gone into a full-blown panicrage attack when she wasn't there. It had taken both Rebekah and Stefan to restrain him and explain the situation to him, making him feel like an idiot.

He was actually rather excited to attend these Blood Games with Syn. It would be the first time they would be going out together as a couple in public and he was also curious to see the event, which sounded huge. Of course, everyone was going, including Caroline, Bonnie, Jeremy and Tyler. Ric was a given as well as Elena. Stefan and Rebekah stood off to one corner, watching everyone else. He found it odd that Stefan hadn't approached Elena yet, but he'd stay out of his brother's business.

The other person standing quietly in the room, observing everyone else was Zarek. He had escorted Elena, which had come as a surprise initially, until Rebekah reminded him that Syn had appointed Zarek as Elena's bodyguard when she wasn't around. Every time he looked at the guy and remembered his close association with Syn, he felt jealousy coil through him like poison. He gritted his teeth. He hated the fucking wait.

The room was abuzz with excited chatter. "I can't believe Syn invited us," Caroline said, slightly in awe at the concept of visiting another realm.

"I know! I can't believe we're actually going to visit another realm," Bonnie said with a huge smile. "I've never been farther than Atlanta and now I'm going to another realm!"

"I wonder how it works," Ric said, the academic in him trying to get a better understanding of the mechanics.

"What do you mean?" Jeremy asked.

"Well, where exactly is this Gaming Realm and what is it? Is it in a different dimension? Does it exist in the same world as we do, except we can't see it?" he asked, clearly having given the topic a bit of thought.

At that precise moment, Syn appeared in the middle of the room with a loud bang, causing everyone to gasp. "Sorry about that," she said with a grin. "The farther I travel, the louder my arrival," she explained and everyone just nodded.

Damon sighed in relief. He suddenly felt much better. And when she sauntered up to him, wound her arms around his neck and brushed her lips across his with a soft "Hi, baby, I missed you," he started grinning like a moron.

"I missed you too," he whispered back as he pulled her close and captured her lips in a scorching kiss. They were both panting by time they pulled apart. "You're late," he said with a mock glare.

"Sorry about that," she said with a sigh. "Dad heard I'm going to the Games after all and roped me into standing up with them for the opening ceremony. He knows how much I hate the formal crap but he made a very convincing argument," she said, shrugging.

"So, can you explain a little more about this Gaming Realm?" Ric asked. "What is it and where is it?"

"The Gaming Realm, or Cuirmre as it's actually called, is a free zone where everything goes. Just think of it as the intergalactic party and pleasure capital - "

"Intergalactic?" everyone in the room asked at the same time, except for Zarek and Rebekah.

Syn looked at them and burst out laughing. "I swear, it sounds like you rehearsed it. So, I'm guessing you haven't told them anything," she asked Rebekah.

"It's not my place," the vampire said, inclining her head towards Damon subtly. Rebekah hadn't known exactly what Syn wanted to tell everyone, so she had erred on the side of caution. Syn got the message and thanked her with a wink.

"In fifteen words or less, because we have to go in ten seconds or Dad's going to nail my hide to the wall for being late. I'm Tuathan, a highly evolved race of beings that guard and guide the development of intelligent life in the universe." Everyone's mouths literally fell open, simply staring at Syn.

"Okay, is everyone packed? We really have to go," Syn asked. They all nodded, still in shock.

"You can't just tell us there's other life in the universe and then just stop!" Ric exclaimed.

Syn cocked an eyebrow. "Please don't tell me you thought you were alone…"

"Of course not," Ric said, fidgeting in embarrassment. "But, still…" he trailed off.

"Look, I promise we'll sit down tomorrow and I'll tell you as much as I can, okay?"

Ric nodded. "Okay," he practically croaked. It wasn't as if he had much choice.

"Before we go, there's one more thing we need to do," she said as she pulled out nine paper-thin silver disks from her pocket. "You'll each need one of these."

"What do we do with them?" Stefan asked.

"Let me show you. Damon, give me your left hand please," she said. Damon complied instantly. She pressed the disk against the back of his wrist and in seconds it had expanded out into a two-inch wide bracelet. He looked at it in fascination. It had fused to his skin so that it seemed to be part of him, as if a band of skin had suddenly turned into silver. "It's a gha'ral. Think smart-phone on crack," she explained.

"Huh?" Damon asked still not getting it.

"They act as a form of identification as well as information and currency storage units. They bond with the wearer and are unique. When you first put one on, it scans you, storing vital information like species, planet of origin, name and even medical information," she explained and they were all looking at her like she was from outer space. Shit, she was from outer space Ric thought to himself. He was going to have to tie her down at some point because he had about a million and one questions.

When they all looked at her a bit skeptically, Syn rolled her eyes. "Guys, they don't bite. Put the damn things on. They're all loaded with full-access passes to everything on the Gaming Realm. They also have plenty of currency, so no matter what you need, you can get."

"Shopping?" Caroline squealed gleefully, suddenly forgetting about everything else. Everyone in the room laughed, suddenly more relaxed. Caroline never changed.

"You bet," Syn said with a grin. "And don't worry, it will change color and design to complement your outfit." Caroline gaped and slapped it on her wrist as fast as vampirically possible.

"Can I keep it?" she breathed in awe as it molded to her wrist.

"Yes, Caroline, it's yours," Syn said with a wink.

"What's this?" Ric asked, indicating the engraving that looked like a dragon entwined with a tiger.

"That's my family crest. It indicates that you are part of my house and, as such, under my protection," she explained.

"Why would we need protection?" Bonnie spoke up, suddenly finding her voice. She was still a bit shell-shocked at what Syn was saying.

"While violence is not possible in the Gaming Realm except in the arena, I'd rather not take any chances, especially with the weaker members of our party," Syn explained. Ric suddenly felt a whole lot better, knowing that Syn really had thought of everything. He had been slightly apprehensive for Jeremy and Elena when Rebekah had told them about the Blood Games.

"I'm a witch. I can protect myself," Bonnie said as she demonstrated by giving Stefan an aneurysm. He doubled over, groaning in pain but a second later, it stopped, much to Bonnie's consternation.

"Honey, you're sweet. I know you can protect yourself against young vampires but let's be honest, if I sneeze wrong, you're dead. And this is basically a gathering of the finest and strongest fighters in the Tuathan sector of the universe. Not all of them are as laid back as I am and I'd rather not take a chance." Bonnie's eyes widened. "And please stop picking on Stefan."

"Okay," Syn said as she squared her shoulders, "can we go now? I have to get ready for that damn ceremony and it takes for-freaking-ever because my mother really likes tradition."

Everyone nodded and stood. "Uhm, so what do we do now?" Rebekah asked.

"Hang on to your bags," Syn said with a grin. She touched a spot just under her ear as everyone watched curiously.

"Cuirmre Passenger Transport. Please identify yourself," a male voice sounded in the room, making everyone jump.

"Syn Ana'Xaos of the House of Ceannsaich o Cogadh," Syn replied.

"Latha Ana'Xaos, it is good to hear your voice. I presume you are not travelling alone as you are requesting transport," the male said.

"It's good to hear you too, Dar'nak. And yes, I am travelling with a party of ten," she said.

"Please identify lifeforms so we can calibrate the transporter."

"One Tuathan with a bonded dragon shifter, one pure vampire, three Terran vampires, one Terran werewolf, one witch and three humans," Syn replied, counting them all off.

"Very well. The calibrated TIV unit will be with you momentarily. DNA verification will be required before transport," the voice continued. Everyone stared in surprise as a large object appeared in the center of the room. It looked like a round control center from a spaceship, Ric thought. It definitely looked metallic and had, he guessed, eleven screens with a shiny black pad below each. He was trying hard not to rub his eyes.

"You need to place your palms on the pads. They will scan and draw blood to verify your identity and species. If the information is a match to your gha'rals then you will be permitted to board Cuirmre," the voice explained. Everyone followed Syn's lead and positioned themselves around the unit, placing their palms on the pads.

When they made contact with the pads, they lit up a bright blue. "Scan commencing," a decidedly feminine voice said. "Identity and species confirmed. Transport can commence," the woman said. "We hope you enjoy your stay on Cuirmre," she continued, in a much friendlier tone.

Everyone tensed, unsure of what to expect. "Initiating transport to dock 345-B," the male voice said. "Don't be a stranger Syn."

"I'll be at the party tonight," she responded to the man on the other end. Damon gritted his teeth. Yes, yes, it was all fucking fascinating. He just wanted to know why his girl was making a date with another guy. First Zarek, now this Dar-whatever his fucking pansy name was? She was his! Whoa! When had he started thinking like that? She was great. She was fun. But did he really care that much? Was he ready to care that much about anyone again? Yes, you are, you twerp! She's not just any teenage girl, George snorted at him in his head.

With his inner dialogue going full throttle, Damon hadn't even realized that they were suddenly standing in an enormous hall. He looked around curiously and saw that they were standing on a raised platform just big enough for the TIV unit, as the guy had called it, and them. There must have been at least another fifty similar platforms of varying sizes in the hall. It was highly impersonal with brushed metal walls and a glossy black floor.

However, what did make him stare in wonder was the hundreds of beings bustling about. Some appeared human while others were humanoid in shape but blue, green and a myriad other colors. Then there were those that weren't even vaguely human. Some appeared reptilian, others had tentacles and there was even one alien that seemed to be on fire.

"All Pyrosians are requested to extinguish their flames while on Cuirmre," said a feminine voice. "Aquarians are invited to Section C on Deck 7 for a complimentary energy boost…" and on and on the voice went. He looked at his companions. Caroline, Bonnie and Elena were looking around with their mouths agape and mouths wide. Rebekah was smiling, Stefan didn't seem to know where to look first and Ric and Jeremy were grinning like idiots.

"It's like real life Men in Black," Jeremy said, his voice shaking with the excitement he was obviously trying to contain.

Stefan nudged Damon and pointed behind him. When he turned, he drew in a quick breath he didn't need. What he hadn't seen was that one of the walls was a window and they were looking at the Earth. They were in fucking space!

He turned wide-eyed to Syn. She just grinned and winked. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Cuirmre, the largest and most famous pleasure satellite in the universe," she said. "Now, a few ground rules. Try not to stare too much. I know it might be hard, but some species are a little more aggressive than others and staring can be considered a challenge. While there is no violence allowed on board, that doesn't mean they can't issue a challenge and you could find yourself fighting in the arena. Especially if you have a problem apologizing," she said with a smirk, while she cocked an eyebrow at Damon.

"Trust me, if something like that challenges me," Damon said, indicating an eight foot, blue humanoid creature that had a row of spikes down its back and six tentacles coming out of its shoulders, along with a pair of arms as thick as small tree trunks, "you'll find that I can be extremely apologetic." Everyone laughed and Syn turned to see what Damon meant.

"Hang on a sec," she said. "Zarek, you wanna take them to the Andorian? I've got rooms booked for all of us under my name."

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Gr'yndl is here," she said grinning.

Zarek laughed. "Fine, I'll babysit. Tell the big lug he owes me a rematch."

"Thanks, you're an angel," Syn said with a smile. "Zarek will help you out. I'll see you down in the bar at 4:30," she said. "Just check your bracelets for the time, okay?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, eager to see more of the station. Damon just glared. She was brushing him off! Handing him off to the fucking dragon shifter so she could get it on with some alien dude! That was what? Number three?

"Come on, sheep," Zarek said. "Let's get you settled." Damon growled.

Syn stepped off the platform and he heard her shout, "Hey, blue tentacle boy! Wanna move that ass? You're blocking traffic, you big lout!"

When the very big, very blue and seemingly very pissed spikey, tentacled creature Damon had pointed out earlier turned around, Damon felt like picking Syn up and running out of the room. Was she insane? The thing was going to crush her like a gnat. He tensed, ready to do battle.

"Well, if it isn't the bitch with the biggest mouth this side of the universe. Thought you chickened out this year," the creature drawled, leveling Syn with a menacing glare.

"If it isn't ugliest shit in the universe," Syn answered in the same tone of voice. Damon swallowed hard. Yup, she was fucking mental. "And as you can see, I'm here."

"Still as bitchy as ever, I see," he said. Suddenly, the creature's face changed completely as he started laughing. "Watcha doing girlfriend? Don't you know how to pick up a communicator? Where the hell have you been? Come give Gr'yndl a hug!" he chattered.

Syn grinned and launched herself at the blue creature, who deftly caught her in his embrace. Her arms went around his neck and her legs around his waist.

"How you doing you big lug?" she asked. "I missed you."

Damon looked on, wondering if he was having a mental break down. "Wha'? What the hell just happened?" he asked Zarek who was looking on with a grin.

"They're great friends. They just have a freaky sense of humor. They know everyone craps themselves cause they're expecting a fight," he said.

"Gr'yndl missed you too," the thing purred. It actually fucking purred! Damon watched as its tentacles came around and embraced Syn as well. He couldn't help the growl that bubbled up when one of said tentacles made its way down to her ass.

Zarek looked at him and glared. "Come on, stupid, before you end up someone's lunch."

Fuck that! There's no way we're leaving her alone with that thing and its wandering tentacles! George said and for once, Damon was in complete agreement.

"Gr'yndl, tentacles!" Syn snapped and the thing grinned at her unrepentantly.

He felt himself being dragged along and had no choice but to follow on his own two feet. He sensed that Zarek would drag him across the floor to get him out of there if he had to.

They walked through a large set of doors that quietly slid closed behind them, hiding Syn from his view. He literally gnashed his teeth together. He was going to put her on a leash and keep her by his side. The woman was dangerous to his sanity. At everyone's exclamations of surprise, though, he turned around and looked at the scene before him in stunned amazement.


	14. Chapter 13

Where the dock had been completely impersonal, the view before him was, literally, out of this world. It was as if they had walked out onto the surface of a planet with the most luxurious tropical vegetation he had ever seen. Glossy black paths weaved their way through a world of exquisite flowers and plants of the most diverse shapes and colors. Trees stood at least ten feet tall, with blue, yellow and purple leaves and glossy black trunks, rising towards what looked like a lilac sky with fluffy white clouds. The place was huge! They even had waterfalls that must have been at least twenty feet high.

Among the foliage stood structures that looked like ancient Greek temples, except they had holographic signs above them. The signs were in English, which struck Damon as being odd. In fact, he realized it was very odd that he understood everyone. English couldn't possibly be the universal language, could it?

"OH MY GOD!" Caroline and Bonnie squealed in delight. "This is heaven!"

"Not bad, right?" Zarek asked with a grin, enjoying their surprise.

"It's incredible," Rebekah said with a large smile on her face.

"I'd love to show you around," Zarek said to Rebekah, who smiled up at him shyly.

Damon looked at her as if she'd grown another head. Since when did Rebekah act… all girly-like?

"That would be awesome!" Damon heard Elena say.

When Zarek rolled his eyes in annoyance, Damon couldn't help but feel slightly sorry for him. "Welcome to my world," he murmured. "The world of human teenagers," grinning at Zarek.

The shifter looked at him and grinned. "I feel really, really sorry for you. At least I'm not permanently glued to their side," he said.

"Don't remind me," Damon groaned.

"So, when are we going on tour?" Bonnie asked.

"And when can we go shopping?" Caroline asked.

"Do they have a spa?" Elena added her own question.

The men all just rolled their eyes. "I'm taking you to the hotel and then I'm going to be in the bar, drinking," Zarek said.

"Count me in," Damon agreed.

"Us too," Ric, Tyler and Jeremy chimed in.

"But... we wanna visit," the girls whined. Suddenly, something that look like a small bird started flying towards them at full speed. Elena squealed, as it was headed straight for her, but it changed trajectory and stopped right in front of Zarek's face. And that's when Damon realized it wasn't actually a bird but a tiny person with wings.

"My wife can give your girls the tour," the small being said to Zarek. "The finest tour in all of Cuirmre, specially tailored to ladies who enjoy a spot of shopping. The fee is minimal and we offer a complete package."

Damon watched Zarek who just seemed to stare at the little flying man, who was no larger than his hand. He might have been shocked an hour ago, but – honestly – a fairy tour guide was no longer that much of a surprise.

"How much?" Zarek growled.

"Only 15,000 credits, Lord Dragon," the fairy said, with a lavish bow. "And my wife will bring her sisters along and each of your girls will have a permanent guide for the entire duration of their stay here."

"I don't know if we can afford that," Zarek said, looking for all the world like he was dirt poor. "It is a bit much."

"You know what? I'll drop it to 12,000. I know what it's like. Trust me. I'd rather be y'thlin bait than go shopping with the wife. Whenever we go on holiday, I'd love to be able to just chill out and have a drink with the mates but the wife has to drag me to every damn shop and spa in sight," the little man sighed dramatically.

Zarek just grinned at the fairy, "Fine, you got a deal. Bring your wife and her sisters over and I'll make the payment. But, no flitting away in the middle of the day or leaving them alone," Zarek said with a growl.

Elena, Bonnie, Caroline and even Rebekah, much to Damon's utter shock, squealed in delight. "We've got fairy personal assistants!" Caroline whispered loudly, trying not to appear too much like a country bumpkin, even though she felt like she was a cavewoman by comparison.

Zarek only smiled indulgently. A few minutes later, the same male fairy appeared, with four women in tow. Damon had to admit that they were all exquisitely beautiful, with golden skin, golden hair and eyes the color of blooming heather. Such tiny things, yet so amazingly beautiful. He smiled as one of them landed on his shoulder.

"Hello," she said, her voice soft and extremely erotic. Damon's eyes widened.

"Hi, honey," he said with a smirk. He couldn't help himself. She was just so sweet.

"My name's Ji'lalia," she said with a small smile.

"You have a lovely name. I'm Damon," he said.

"Aren't you the charmer? Please tell me I get you," she said with a grin and Damon laughed.

"Sorry love, but you're here for the girls," he said with a wink.

"Too bad," she said with a small pout as she rose into the air, her wings beating so fast that it was hard even for him to see them move. She moved in front of him and gave him a quick peck on the lips. At least that's what he thought it was. "If you ever need anything, you just ask for Ji'lalia and I'll take care of you, gorgeous," she said with a small wink.

"I'll be sure to do that," Damon replied. He looked at Stefan who was grinning from ear to ear. Apparently, he'd had a similar encounter with one of Ji'lalia's sisters, since there was a fairy fluttering in front of his face. They looked at each other, grinning like two morons. Who knew it could be so exhilarating to have two fairies flirt with them.

"I'm Rhi'lanel," the male fairy said to Zarek. "This is Lia'dra, my wife and her sisters, Ji'lalia, Ghi'na and Dhi'randa. We've been living on Cuirmre for the past century and their favorite pastime is shopping. Trust me, my bank account can feel it," he said in a conspiratorial whisper to Zarek. "So, don't worry, you're ladies will have the time of their life."

"Will they be safe on their own, with no protection," Damon asked, slightly worried considering the warnings Syn had given them regarding the arena.

"Oh, no need to worry Sir Vampire," Rhi'lanel assured him. "Protection is included in the price and since I gather the ladies haven't been here before, I'll make sure my best guard is assigned to them." The little fairy turned around and whistled, followed by a bellow of "Tarok, you're on the job."

Damon cocked an eyebrow. "My name's Damon and how can a…" he trailed off. He was going to ask how a fairy could provide protection against anything larger than a flea but decided shutting up was probably a better idea when he saw what approached them. Tarok was certainly not a fairy. Damon looked up and up.

"You called boss?" the ten foot, highly-muscled giant asked the fairy. Damon bit his lip hard in an effort not to laugh at the ridiculous sight of this giant calling the fair boss.

"You're on protection detail for these lovely ladies," the fairy said.

"Ladies," he said with a bow. The girls giggled. "I'm Tarok. And who do I have the pleasure of looking after?"

"I'm Rebekah and this is Caroline, Bonnie and Elena," Rebekah said with a small curtsey. Damon stared. It was as if someone had taken over Rebekah's body and the evil vampire had simply disintegrated.

"My lady, you honor me. It will be my absolute pleasure to ensure the safety of such lovely ladies," he said with a soft voice and a smile. All the girls giggled again.

"Trust us, it will totally be our pleasure to have you with us," Caroline gushed and the other girls nodded emphatically in agreement. Tyler, Jeremy and, surprisingly, Zarek just glared.

"A pleasure doing business with you, Lord Dragon," Rhi'lanel said. "This is my contact information, in case you require any other services," he continued, as he touched his tiny bracelet to Zarek's. Transferring information, Damon assumed. In seconds, he had disappeared.

"Will you be attending the opening ceremony for the Blood Games?" Tarok asked.

"Oh, yes, we definitely will be. We're actually meeting Syn in the hotel bar at 4:30," Rebekah said.

"Syn?" Tarok asked. "The Lady Syn Ana'Xaos of the House of Ceannsaich o Cogadh?"

"Yes, that's her," Rebekah replied. The four fairies, who were sitting on the girls' shoulders, started to flutter about anxiously. "Is something wrong?" Rebekah asked.

"Wrong? Is something wrong? What's right?" Lia'dra asked in a panic. "Rhi'lanel didn't whisper a word about this. I'm going to kill that fairy," she hissed, much to the dismay of their whole group.

"Tarok, what's going on?" Damon quietly asked the giant, curious as to what would cause the sudden panic in the fairies.

"You'll have to forgive the girls. It's just that they had no idea you were with Latha Ana'Xaos, and they feel a little unprepared," Tarok explained, his voice barely above a murmur.

"Unprepared?"

"If they had known they would be in the company of the legendary Latha Ana'Xaos, they would have… you know… done that thing women do and gotten all fancy and stuff," the giant whispered, making Damon grin.

Zarek was simply looking at the fairies as if they'd completely lost the plot. "Lord Dragon, I hope that idiot husband of mine waived the fee," Lia'dra said as she fluttered to Zarek.

"My lady, your husband and I came to a satisfactory arrangement," Zarek said courteously.

"He didn't, did he? That moronic cretin," she humphed. "You will be refunded in full. I will not take a penny from Latha Ana'Xaos!"

"Why not?" Ric spoke up for the first time since they had arrived, surprising Damon. He usually couldn't get Teach to shut up for five seconds.

The fairy seemed to grow in size as she huffed and puffed, seemingly quite annoyed. "How can you ask such a thing?" she practically screeched. "How can I take money from Latha Ana'Xaos who has fought for the better part of five millennia against the Krag so that those like me and everyone you see around you can walk free and live the lives we choose? I will accept no payment from the Lady Syn who risked her life to save our people from certain annihilation!" she finished.

Everyone was too dumbstruck to say anything, except for Rebekah, much to Damon's surprise, who was smiling softly. What the hell was going on? Who was Syn? Or maybe the better question was, what did she do? It certainly didn't seem like she lazed around all day being a goddess. Then again, he didn't know any goddesses so he had no idea what they'd be doing all day anyway. He looked at Stefan questioningly, but they both shrugged at each other.

"My lady Lia'dra," Zarek began but was quickly interrupted.

"And you," she said pointing at him. " You must be Zarek, Dragon Lord and bond of Latha Ana'Xaos."

"Yes, I am, but…" he tried again.

"Right, my husband is dead. He's going to be spit-roasted for dinner," she said, tapping her little foot in the air. The sight was quite hilarious. "And, please, my lord, call me Lia."

"Only if you call me Zarek," he said and put a hand up when she was about to launch into a fresh tirade. "Please, the my lord crap gets old. And Latha Ana'Xaos would be furious if she learned you refused her money. She would see it as a lack of respect," Zarek tried to explain.

"But, how? Because I cannot expect payment from one who has done so much for us?"

"Lia," he said patiently, "Syn does what she does so that we all may enjoy a life of freedom and happiness, so that every creature, large or small, can choose their own path. She doesn't do it for glory. So, how do you think she would feel if she found out that the very people's lives she saved were her slaves?"

"But, we are not her slaves! We aren't being forced to do anything. This is our choice," Lia said, though her voice was less confident.

"My lady Lia, you would be working for free. While you aren't being forced, it is still a form of slavery and that is something that Latha Ana'Xaos does not condone. Would you want to damage her reputation?"

"Oh, by the stars, NO! I didn't realize…" the fairy trailed off. "But…"

"If you truly wish to show your appreciation, then just thank her and treat her like any other being. Trust me, Lia, it's what would make her happy," Zarek said and Damon could see the sincerity in his eyes.

"Are you sure?" the fairy asked.

"There is no greater gift you can give her," Zarek nodded.

"And that is why any male or female of any species in the ATP Army would gladly lay down our lives for the Lady Syn," Tarok whispered to Damon, who looked up at him curiously.

"ATP?" he asked.

"Alliance of Tuathan Planets," Zarek said. "And you are right, my friend, we would all gladly die for her," he said to the giant. "You served?"

"With pride," Tarok said, standing taller. "And I still do. This is just a temporary job while on leave. I have a few months of downtime but I go insane if I just sit still," the giant said with a shrug.

Stefan and Ric had inched towards Damon during the conversation and were glaring at him. "What haven't you told us?" Ric hissed.

"Hey! Don't look at me. I have no idea what the fuck is going on!" he hissed back. Syn was some intergalactic legend? She fought in an army? There was a fucking war to fight in? Hell, how the fuck should he know? He hadn't even known there were aliens and pleasure satellites an hour ago, let alone a fricking alliance of planets.

"Oh, Lia, if you really want to make Latha Ana'Xaos happy, make sure these ladies have a great time," he heard Zarek say with a grin to the fairy, who perked up, glad she could actually do something.

"Right, we have to get you all settled in, if we're going to be on time to meet Latha Ana'Xaos," Lia said as she transformed from sweet fairy to General, giving everyone orders.

It couldn't have been more than ten minutes before they had all been shown to their rooms. Of those, five minutes they had spent gaping at the lobby of the hotel, with its floating platforms, overhead aquarium with the strangest fish Damon had ever seen and floors that he would have thought were marble had they been home but these were a deep red with gold and silver streaks that actually seemed to move through the rock. Nope, definitely not marble.

Elena had actually squealed at one point, jumping to the side, when one of the golden things had slithered away from under her foot. Zarek had burst out laughing. Elena's glare only made him laugh harder. "I'm sorry," he gasped, "it's just that it's the first time I've seen anyone freaked out by Fad'na rock."

"Very funny. But maybe you could explain what it is, before you pass out from laughing so hard," Elena said, clearly irritated.

Zarek only laughed harder. "Lia, please," he gasped, obviously begging the fairy for help. Since she had covered her mouth as well, she was probably enjoying the moment as well.

If he were honest, Damon wasn't far from laughing himself, not just at Elena's reaction – because, come on, let's be serious, this was an upscale place and they wouldn't have things that bite in the floors – but at how annoyed she was that everyone was having a laugh. He glanced at Stefan and they shared a grin.

It actually felt good, Damon thought. Ever since Syn had removed the compulsion and given him the power to control the bloodlust the day before, he and Stefan had been getting along really well and he was glad. It hadn't taken him long to fall back into the same pattern they had had as humans, when they looked at each other all the time, communicating silently as only brothers could. Syn had given him his brother back.

"Well, Fad'na rock is unique and quite expensive as it can only be found on one planet, which is on the border of Krag territory. It has a shifting magnetic field so that if you place any form of metal on it, it will move towards the position where the magnetic field has moved. What you see on the floor is basically liquid rhald, a type of metal that doesn't solidify, that has been poured on top of the rock and then covered with an energy field. Essentially, we are walking on the energy field, but you can't tell because it is only a few microns above the rock. That's how you get the pretty designs," Lia finished her lecture.

"That's fascinating," Ric said and everyone nodded as they were all intently studying the floor. Zarek had disappeared in the meantime to what Damon presumed was the front desk, though it didn't look like any front desk he had ever seen. It was a ten foot wide holographic screen, which was manned by three very human-looking women. In no time at all, Zarek was back, holding a small ball of blue light in his hand.

"Okay, so who's staying with who?" he asked.

"I'm with Bonnie," Caroline said quickly, which made Elena frown.

"Okay, come here, then," Zarek replied. "Hold out your left wrists." When they complied, he touched the ball of light to their bracelets. "You've got room 45098. But don't worry, you don't have to remember the number. Just swipe your bracelet along the black pad on the platform that's waiting behind you and you'll be taken directly to your room," he explained.

The girls nodded and turned around, jumping on the platform Zarek had referred to, which looked a bit like a small floating stage, complete with neon lights. And it hovered just above the floor. When Caroline swiped her bracelet, a guard came up around the whole platform, stopping exactly at the same height as Caroline's waist. Then, the damn thing took off. Gently, yes. But no one had expected it to fly!

They had continued to pair off. Jeremy with Tyler, seeing as their girlfriends had abandoned them, Ric and Stefan, Rebekah with Elena, even though Zarek had proposed otherwise to Rebekah but she had declined. She didn't know him well enough, yet, she had said with that mysterious smile women use to drive men insane as they spend days wondering what the hell it means.

"I guess that leaves me with you," Damon said, though he was rather disappointed. He had hoped Syn would want them to share a room. But, she was probably staying in the royal suite or some other crap like that with her family. He tried not to show his irritation show.

"Actually, no. This is your room and this is mine. So, see you down here in five for a drink?"

"Damn straight," Damon said with a smile. Once he got on his own platform and rose above the aquarium ceiling, he saw that the structure didn't have any hallways. It was and octagonal structure that was hollow all the way to the top and the doors were in the walls so that if some poor schmuck was drunk and opened the door accidentally, they'd take one hell of a flying leap. His platform rose to his room and it docked, the door sliding open silently.

He sighed. Well, at least he didn't have to share with Zarek. Maybe he could convince Syn to spend a night with him. As soon as he entered the room, the lights started coming on and he looked around, seriously impressed. It was damn huge. Almost the same size as one floor of the boarding house. The bed alone was as big as his room and was covered in black and red satin sheets. It was clear that they had guests of varying sizes.

The floor seemed to be the same Fad'na rock as in the lobby, except that this one was black instead of red. The windows, which covered two walls from floor to ceiling, looked out onto the tropical paradise of Cuirmre.

He threw his bag down next to what he thought were cupboards and threw himself on the bed. He almost squealed in a very un-vampire-like way when the bed started to shift underneath him. What the hell? He decided keeping still was a good idea and that's when he realized the area he was lying on was molding itself to the shape of his body. Damn, he needed to get one of these! It was fucking amazing!

At that moment he heard a voice. "Sir, this is the porter. May I enter?"

"Yes, of course," he said as he jumped up. A man walked in, pushing a cart that hovered above the floor, which held a large case. He quickly unloaded it and bowed to Damon before turning to leave.

"One moment," Damon called out. He didn't know what had been delivered but he always tipped.

"Yes, Sir?" the porter enquired. Damon extended his wrist, showing him the bracelet.

"It's my first time here. How can I give you a tip?" Damon asked, realizing he had no idea how to actually transfer credits in a situation like this.

The porter smiled. "That's very kind of you, Sir, but it's already been taken care of," he said as he bowed and left the room. Damon shrugged and jumped back on the bed. He checked the time and saw he had about two minutes before he had to meet Zarek downstairs.

Then he heard the door slide open again and he looked up. He grinned when he saw Syn walk in.

"This place is amazing," he said by way of greeting.

"I'm glad you like it," she said with a smile. Damon couldn't hold back anymore so he jumped off the bed and sped towards her at full vampire speed, gathering her in his arms and swinging her around.

She threw her head back and laughed. When he came to a stop, he let her slide down his body and they both moaned at the contact. She wrapped a hand around his neck and pulled him down for a quick kiss but when he went to deepen it, she pulled back.

"No way," she said putting a hand up. "If we start that, I'm never going to be ready for the damn ceremony on time." He pouted. Syn simply couldn't resist that pout and gave him another kiss. "Go on, of you go. Zarek's downstairs in the bar, waiting for you. I have to get ready."

That's when it clicked in Damon's head. "You're staying here?" he asked.

"Yes, of course," she replied. "Where else would I stay?" she asked in obvious surprise.

"I don't know. I guess I didn't think you'd want to stay with me," Damon replied, his damned insecurity surfacing again. Fuck, he was going to embarrass himself in front of her.

"Damon, trust me, there's nowhere else I'd rather be than right here, with you. And just in case you didn't get it through that thick head of yours, of course I damned well want to stay with you, stupid," she said, poking her tongue out at him.

He laughed. He couldn't help it. She was so different. So free, so happy and she made him feel so warm inside. "Sweetheart, if you ever want to leave this room again, I suggest you keep your tongue in your mouth," he said with a lewd grin as he stalked towards her.

"Shit, Damon, shut up. Seriously," she groaned as she backed away from him. "The last thing I need is Dad popping and seeing your naked ass because I'm late for the ceremony." That stopped him in his tracks.

"Fuck! Nope, definitely not how I want to meet Lucifer the first time. I'll be downstairs with Zarek," he said quickly and sped towards the door, running his bracelet across the reader.

"Chicken!" he heard her call out. When the doors opened, he turned towards her and backed out of the room, his arms going and he clucked, doing his best impersonation of a chicken. The sound of her laughter was music to his ears.


	15. Chapter 14

Two hours later, they were standing in a huge hall that was full of people. There must have been at least four thousand people packed in there, though it wasn't stifling at all. Zarek had explained that the ceremony wasn't a lengthy affair. In fact, it simply consisted of introducing the representatives of the Tuathan House that was hosting the games this year and revealing what the prize was. Apparently, they didn't like lengthy formal affairs and wanted to get on with the party that followed.

When the girls had heard party, they had dashed off with their fairy guides and Tarok to buy suitable outfits. The guys were ecstatic that they had escaped.

Damon had been disappointed that Syn hadn't come down, but Zarek had explained that she needed to get ready for the ceremony. How the hell could it take two hours to get ready for a woman who waved a hand and was dressed in seconds?

"Trust me. You have no idea," Zarek said, rolling his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm just glad you're here. I'm usually stuck up there with her while she goes through the room like a pissed of banshee throwing things and swearing a blue streak because she's got to go through this crap," he said with a grimace.

Why would Zarek be in the room with Syn while she was changing? Damon seriously did not like the sound of that. He'd have to keep a closer eye on the shifter.

"Last time she nailed me in the balls with a shoulder pad," he said with a shudder.

"Yeah, I'm sure shoulder pads really hurt," Stefan said with a snigger.

"You'll see," Zarek said with a knowing smile. "Let's just say that I was bow-legged for a week." Everyone at the table paled, including the vampires.

"What the hell does she have in those shoulder pads? Lead weights?" Ric asked.

"Wait and see. You'll know exactly what I mean as soon as you see her."

And now, here they stood, waiting for the big moment. The lights dimmed until the whole room was pitch black. Soft music started playing, growing in volume and power until it reached a crescendo. At that moment, the back wall slid open and a stage seemed to grow from the floor, the rock rising and reshaping, with stairs that led down into the crowd.

A man ran on stage and everyone cheered. "Ladies and gentlemen, do we have some surprises for you tonight!" he hollered, his voice reverberating through the room. "But first, welcome to the 50,540th edition of the Blood Games!" Everyone hollered, cheering and clapping.

"And now, let's welcome this year's sponsors, who we have to thank for the amazing entertainment that's been arranged for this week as well as this year's amazing price. Let's give it up for the Lady Morrighan and Lord Lucifer of the House of Ceannsaich o Cogadh!" he shouted and the crowd cheered and clapped as the music turned to thunder and lightning. In the center of the stage, in a flash of light, two people appeared. Everyone gasped and cheered even louder.

Thankfully, they were standing quite close the stage and Damon didn't have to contend with any ten foot participants to try and see over their heads.

A woman with fiery red hair who looked like Syn's sister stood proudly in a black dress that shimmered as if it were liquid metal. It was held up by a single wide strap over her left shoulder that had a silver metal lace shoulder pad, which curved up to a menacing point. Her hair was held back by a headdress made of similar metal lacing studded with black and red precious stones. Had they been on Earth, Damon would have thought they were rubies and onyx. But he wasn't taking any chances considering where they were standing.

He glanced at Lucifer and he had to give Syn's Dad props. Armani suits were always fashionable and it seemed that the Tuathan favored them. He had raven hair and intensely green eyes, just like Syn. He stood at least a head above his wife, whose hand was tucked in the crook of his arm. He watched them with a little envy because whenever they glanced at each other, he could see how much they loved each other. Considering how old Syn was, that meant that they had been together for at least five thousand years, yet they still looked at each other like there was no one else in the world but them. He had hoped to have even a tenth of that a long time ago but now… He didn't stand a chance because he had done too much wrong. He was a monster and monsters didn't get happy endings.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is our pleasure to welcome you to a new round of the Blood Games. May the best man or woman come out victorious," Lady Morrighan said with a smile to the cheers and applause of the crowd. "And now, my husband shall introduce this year's prize."

"So, this year we've got something really good for you. Well, at least I think it is," Lucifer said with a grin. "This year, the winner will get my daughter's hand in marriage." He paused. Damon nearly passed out and instant later he had vamped out, fury vibrating in his body. How the fuck did he sign up? No one was fucking getting within a mile of her! The crowd was roaring their approval.

"Alright, alright. Calm down. I was just kidding," he said with a chuckle. The crowd booed. Damon gaped, then growled and wondered if Syn would be really pissed at him if he tried to bite her father. "Come on, guys. Get serious. My wife would have me sleeping with the hellhounds for the next millennium if I was even remotely serious. You don't want to know what my daughter would do to me. Let's just say that I'd gladly hand myself over to the Krag for torture for the next century rather than face her," the crowd was laughing like crazy. "And I'm sure that the vampire who has been making my daughter so happy recently would have a thing or two to say about that as well." A spotlight suddenly appeared on him and Damon gulped as the crowd turned as one to stare at him. Holy fuck!

"Don't be shy Damon," Lady Morrighan said with a soft smile while she elbowed her husband. Damon waved half-heartedly and everyone cheered and clapped. Thankfully, the light went out and he could hide in the shadows again. Okay, that had been unexpected. He looked at their little group and everyone was almost on the floor, they were laughing so hard. All except Elena who just glared at him. What the fuck was her problem anyway?

Yeah, so what. Lucifer, the god of the underworld had just declared to all and sundry that he made Syn happy. The moment had been rather embarrassing but, if he were honest, he felt like puffing out his chest. He made Syn happy. Him. And she had told her parents. Yup, he was grinning like a moron.

It also pleased him immensely when he heard whispers of Lady Syn's consort rumbling through the crowd. Now they would all know she was off limits. They could keep their fucking hands off her or deal with him. Having her dad's endorsement didn't hurt at all either.

"So, now, for the real prize. This year, my wife and I thought long and hard about what would be appropriate. Unfortunately, as we all know, the Krag are becoming more and more of a problem and we are having difficulty holding them back. With all of our worlds at peril, we felt that we should offer something that would benefit not just the victor but their homeworld as well. As a result, after discussing the matter with my daughter, we have decided that the victor will serve directly under Aibheal, in the 66th squadron, for the next century and…" he was cut off by the insane cheering, shouting and applause. In moments, the whole room was chanting "Aibheal, Aibheal, Aibheal!"

Damon would have never imagined that a position in an army could be considered a prize. Apparently, though, it was. And people were damn ecstatic over it. His memories of serving in the war were the exact opposite. He hadn't been able to get out of there fast enough. He was curious who this Aibheal was to inspire such loyalty.

Lucifer raised a hand and the crowd quieted instantly. "…and, with the approval of the Head of the House of Ceannsaich o Cogadh, two additional Tuathan destroyers will be deployed to protect the victor's homeworld and help improve defenses. I only wish we could do more for everyone but as you know, we are already stretched out far past our limit. Despite this, there is one thing I have learned throughout the millennia and that is one soldier who stands against oppression and fights to protect their home and family is worth ten thousand of the Krag's slave soldiers," the crowd erupted into wild cheers. "We shall prevail!" he shouted and Damon could feel the hair rise on his arms.

If he had had a commander like this guy all those years ago, he would have probably fought like a madman. Syn's dad really knew how to inspire a crowd.

"And now, let's get this party started!" he said and both he and his wife came down the stairs to mingle with the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, before the drink starts flowing and the music starts playing, I have one more announcement to make. I would like to introduce a woman who needs no introduction," he said and the crowd had already started to murmur. "A woman who is as brave as she is beautiful, a woman who now honors us with her presence, despite rumors to the contrary. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, here, with us today and for the duration of the Blood Games, is none other than the legendary Lady Syn Ana'Xaos of the House of Ceannsaich o Cogadh!" he shouted and in that moment with a sonic boom and flashes of lightning, Syn appeared in the middle of the stage. The crowd literally went wild. They cheered, they hollered, they shouted.

Damon's jaw had fallen to the floor and his tongue had rolled out along with it when he saw what she was wearing. She had on a long silver skirt that brushed the floor, with a split up one side that went all the way up to her waist. She wore intricately carved gold and silver bracelets on her leg, one on her angle, another one her calf, just below her knee, another above her knee and another near the top of her thigh. Her top half was covered only by a silver bustier and shoulder pads just like her mother had worn. Strips of what looked like liquid metal hung from the shoulder pads and brushed the floor. She wore a headdress, much like her mother had, except hers was silver and curled down and forward onto her cheeks. Thin spikes rose from it into the air and fanned out.

She looked fucking hot! It was a bit as if he had stepped in the 1980s version of Flash Gordon. He was going to have to rifle through her closet because he had always loved the outfits in that movie. Syn in those outfits was beyond a wet dream. Which was probably why he was on the verge of picking her up, throwing her over his shoulder and dashing back to their room. They'd come up for air in a week… Maybe. Possibly a month.

She grinned at the crowd. "It's good to be back," she said. "Now, please take pity on me and let me get this over with so I can change out of this damn thing," she said with a small grimace and the crowd laughed. One sentence and she had them eating out of the palm of her hand.

"I'm not going to discuss our current issues with the Krag. For one, my father has said enough and, secondly, we're here to have some fun and forget our problems, at least for a moment," the crowd cheered. "So, all I really want to say is let's make this an edition of the Blood Games that will not soon be forgotten! Fight hard, play hard!" the crowd went wild, cheering and clapping.

"Syn! Syn! Syn!" the chanted and she grinned.

"Before I go, there is one more thing I can do. And if I can stand this outfit for another few minutes, you can very well stop glaring at me," she said with a smirk. The crowd roared in laughter. "As most of you know, I've been around for five millennia, give or take a few years. You stop counting after a while. Anyway, it took my father sending me to a crappy backwater dump to protect a pissy little teenage human whose importance in the grand scheme of things is less than nil. No offense Elena," she said and the crowd roared with laughter. "So, after travelling the universe from left to right, top to bottom, back to front, I found the man of my dreams in a crap town on Earth. And, ladies, if they've told you that it takes forever to fall for someone, don't believe them. It took me a day and a half. Yes, me, the love'em and leave'em Syn. So, now, I'd like to introduce you to the vampire who changed my life in a few short days and who made me fall in love with him. Ladies and gentlemen, Damon Salvatore," she said as she held her hand out towards Damon.

He just stood there transfixed until Zarek started pushing him. It was the first time in his life that he actually felt like shitting himself. How could he not love this woman? She had just declared to the entire universe that she loved him. Fuck, the woman had style, he had to give her that! Told you so, told you so, told you so, George chanted in his head. Shut up, George.

So, Damon planted the sexiest smirk he could on his face and sauntered up the stairs to her, grabbed her hand, pulled her close, dipped her down and gave her a scorching kiss that curled both their toes. The women in the crowd screamed, the men whistled and Syn grinned at him when they stood.

"Didn't I mention his kisses can set a room on fire?" the crowd roared in approval. "Oh and in case you didn't get the point, ladies. He's mine," she said with a smile, yet her voice held an edge of warning, of menace. Basically, she was saying 'don't fuck with what's mine unless you want me to rip your head off and spit down your throat.' Damon grinned and bowed to the crowd.

"I feel I have to add a few words of wisdom," Damon said. "But I have to say that I am a little more blunt than Syn. She's mine so keep your hands and any other appendages off her or I will rip you apart," he said with a nasty smirk. At first the crowd stared but a second later everyone cheered.

"You're so sweet," she whispered to him. "Now, let's go down into the crowd and mingle for a bit so I can change out of this damn outfit." They walked down the stairs and into the crowd.

Damon groaned. "Do you know how fuckable you look in that woman?"

"Really?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"I'm about five seconds from fucking you up on this stage," he whispered in her ear, his tongue snaking out for a quick taste of her skin.

She moaned. "Fuck Damon, that actually sounds like a damn good idea right now because we're going to be stuck here for a couple more hours."

"Hours? Are you mad? I'm not going to last five minutes," he ground out. His cock was so hard he was seeing stars and she wanted him to wait hours.

"I was going to change here, but I guess I can excuse myself in about half an hour to change up in the room," she said.

"And that there is why you were made for me," he said with a grin and a wink.

Syn snorted. "Babe, I've got a couple of millennia on you. I think you were made for me," she grinned back.

Damon shrugged. "We were made for each other."

"Damn straight," she said as they walked up to their little group. Stefan, Tyler, Jeremy and Ric were practically panting looking at her and only closed their mouths when Damon growled, looking extremely contrite, though they were still staring fixedly at her.

"So, is everyone okay?" Syn asked.

"This is amazing," Ric breathed. "I don't know how to thank you for bringing us here."

"Yeah, it's beyond awesome," Tyler said and Jeremy nodded emphatically.

"I have to say, Syn. You look incredible," Stefan said. "And I was just giving the lady a compliment. I am not hitting on her, you jealous lout," he hissed at Damon and everyone laughed, even the jealous lout.

"Stefan is right, you really do look stunning," Rebekah said. "Can I hug you?" she asked tentatively.

Syn laughed. "Of course. I won't break and this thing is stronger than it looks," she said pointing to her outfit. Rebekah smiled and they hugged briefly.

"We agree," Bonnie and Caroline said. "You really do look like a goddess."

"Thanks everyone," Syn said with a grin. "But if you knew exactly how uncomfortable this damn thing is, you'd be thanking your lucky stars you don't have to wear it. Before you ask, I have a ton more outfits that are just as outrageous and they are all for ceremonial and official events. You know, dazzle the crowds and all that crap."

"And turn your boyfriend into a battering ram," Damon mumbled. The guys grinned, the girls blushed. Elena was standing off to one side with a smile that looked more like a pained grimace. What was with her tonight? Damon wondered. She should be happy. Stefan's here and he's better. What the fuck is her problem?

Suddenly, the crowd went completely silent. A chant sounded. "Dea-la chun na cille e inniu! Fad ar sluagh! Fad saoradh!" it wasn't one person but it sounded like one voice and it definitely wasn't the whole crowd.

They continued to chant and it sounded as if someone was marching towards them. That's when Syn whirled around and the crowd began to part.

"Dea-la chun na cille e inniu! Fad ar sluagh! Fad saoradh!" Syn's voice joined theirs. Through the crowd, that had backed up in silence, twenty-four men and women marched in perfect synchronicity. They wore black uniforms, except unlike any other uniform's Damon had seen, these were completely black. In fact, it was as if they sucked in the light. If these guys wanted to hide in the shadows, even he couldn't see them, of that he was certain. Who the hell were they? And what did Syn have to do with this?

She walked forward and watched as they spread out in a single row in front of her and stood to attention.

"Lady Syn," they said as one and bowed.

"Maybe they're here to honor Syn and her parents," Stefan whispered and Damon shrugged.

"Maybe," he whispered back.

"Do you know what they were chanting?" he asked Ric softly, as he would be the most likely to know.

"I'm not sure but if I have my Gaelic right, it sounded something like 'Today is a good day to die. For our people. For freedom.' It's a battle cry," Ric whispered.

They fell silent and continued to watch the curious events unfolding before them.

"We come to honor you and your family. To thank you for your support," the guy Damon presumed was the commander spoke. This could be the Commander Aibheal Lucifer had mentioned earlier.

Syn inclined her head graciously. "Thank you, Squadron Leader Deek Ap'Niendra. Is that it?" she asked and Damon looked at her in surprise. Was she going to dismiss them so callously?

"No, ma'am," he said, drawing himself up to his full height. Then all twenty-four of them saluted and Deek spoke again. "Wing Commander Aibheal, the 66th Squadron is reporting for some R&R and to watch our commander kick some serious ass!" he said and the crowd erupted into roaring cheers.

"Aibheal! Aibheal! Aibheal!" they chanted.

"Syn is Aibheal?" Stefan asked Damon.

"I have no idea," he replied. She couldn't be. Could she? Come on. She was a damn goddess. Goddesses didn't go off and fight battles. They didn't lead squadrons. They didn't… Even if the evidence was staring him in the face it was still hard to fathom. Yeah, he'd seen her take down a couple of hybrids, but this was a whole different ballgame. No way!

Then Syn saluted and Damon stared. Syn was a fricking wing commander! What the hell did she fly? Cause he was betting his balls that it wasn't any fighter plane he had ever seen before.

"Squadron Leader, take these fine men and women to the Andorian. Everything's arranged. And for the next week, the party's on me," she said with a grin. All the men and women in the squadron cheered. The crowd had already begun to move around, as people started talking to each other, even though they still threw awed glances towards the pilots standing to attention. "Any news when we're being deployed?" Syn asked.

"Two weeks, ma'am," Deek replied and Syn nodded.

"Dea-la chun na cille e inniu! Fad ar sluagh! Fad saoradh!" Syn said and the squadron responded in kind. "Oh and one crack about the outfit and you'll be flying sewage transports from Brathil to Limtaka, got it?" she snarled at them.

"Yes, ma'am!" they all said but they grinned when they saw her wink.

"We wanted to mention that you seemed a little overdressed, ma'am," another guy said with a snigger.

"Would you cut the ma'am crap! And if you're not careful, Jani, you'll be wearing this outfit on our next ground recon mission into Krag territory," she said sweetly and Jani paled.

"Sorry, Aibheal," he muttered and the squadron laughed.

"Come on, Deek. Get out of here. Get changed and have some fun. The real party should start any minute," she said with a smile.

"Aye, aye, ma'am," he said with an unrepentant grin. They all turned and left. In seconds, they had melted into the crowd as if they had never been there.

Syn turned to Damon and the rest of the group. Oh well. She'd kept it hidden for as long as she could. Now, by the looks on their faces, she needed to start talking. Maybe she could postpone the talk until tomorrow.

"Exactly what was that?" Damon hissed at her.

"That was the 66th Squadron, the best fighter pilots and black ops team in the ATP army," she said, pride coming through loud and clear.

"And you're the wing commander?"

"Yes. I'm the wing commander."

"You and I need to talk," Damon said. He couldn't believe it. He had just found her and she was going off in two weeks to get herself killed? Oh hell no!

"I know I have a lot to tell you but let's talk tomorrow, please," she asked him softly. He nodded curtly.

"Fine." No, she couldn't go off and play soldier. Not now. She had just told him she loved him and she wanted to go and get herself killed? No! She wasn't Katherine or Elena. He had known her for a few days and she had burrowed deeper into his heart than anyone. She had taken over his heart completely and he wouldn't fucking let her hand it back to him on a platter in a million pieces if she got herself killed.

He saw the sadness on her face and couldn't stand it. He grabbed her hand and pulled her tightly against his side. "Don't you get it, you fool woman? The idea of losing you terrifies me! I just found you," he whispered as he nuzzled her ear.

"You won't ever lose me, Damon. If I have to, I'll crawl across the universe to get to you," she said with a small smile. "You're my heart and I can't live without my heart, now can I?" She rested her head against his shoulder and he held on tight. Maybe if he didn't let go, then this dream would never end. But he knew it would soon come crashing down around him because monsters never got a happily ever after.


	16. Chapter 15

As soon as the door slid closed behind them, Damon pulled Syn against him and crashed his lips against hers. He wanted to feel her, to taste her, to imprint her taste on his memory. A part of him, that dark part he'd so tried to keep locked away for Elena, for her and for everyone he cared for in his life, wanted to punish her, to hurt her for wanting to leave him, to abandon him. But he pushed it down, he pulled tightly on the reins of control because he couldn't snap. If he did, he'd probably end up ripping her to pieces.

So, he gritted his teeth and loosened his hold on her, softened the kiss that he knew had become punishing, hard and probably painful for her, even though she hid it. He didn't want her to see the ruthless side of him, the side that killed people with no remorse. The part of him that once upon a time had reveled in the thrill of the chase, that had enjoyed playing people, making them hurt and squirm. No, she could never see that side of him.

Damon's lips moved softly over hers, his tongue delving into the sweet, warm recesses of her mouth. Her sigh drew a soft moan from him and the grip of her small hands holding his face made him tremble. When she bit down on his lip, he groaned and pulled back.

"Don't do that," he growled at her, his nostrils flaring as he took deep breaths he didn't really need. It was the only way he could calm himself and get control of his predatory nature. The vampire in him wanted to throw her against the wall and fuck her so hard the walls would tremble. An image of him and Katherine going at it when she had first come back flashed through his mind but there was no way Syn could take it.

"Why not, baby?" Syn asked, though she knew what the answer would be. Patience, she thought to herself. One more day and he would see. He would understand. She knew trying to tell him would be like trying to talk to a brick wall. Hell, she'd probably get a better response from the brick wall. But that was the way Damon was. Stubbornly pig-headed.

"Because I'll hurt you," he whispered. "I'm a vampire Syn. I could hurt you so badly and I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

"Damon, you can't hurt me," she said softly, a hand cupping his cheeks. But his ice blue eyes clearly showed what he thought of that.

"Syn, you have no idea what I'm capable of, what I've done," he said. "Let me just do this my way."

"Okay," Syn replied, _for now._

_She's a goddess, you dolt! Of course she can take it. Hell, she can probably rip you apart without even breaking a sweat, _George said. Shut up, you don't know what you're talking about. Look at her, she's so fragile. _She's a fucking goddess who could fry you with a thought, dumb twit, _George snapped. She may have power but her body is delicate, fragile and, unlike Bonnie, she would never hurt me like that. Before she'd realize the only way to stop would be to kill me, she'd be dead. I can't do it.

_She fucking punched through Mikael's back and threatened to rip his spine out. She broke every last bone in his body with a wave of her hand because he tried to kill Rebekah. When the hell are you going to wake up and smell the fucking shit! She's not as weak or soft as you think, _George snarled at him. I don't care how she did it. I will not have her memories of me be of a ruthless killer who fucks her like she's another Happy Meal on legs! Damon snarled back. _Maybe she would like it. Have you thought of that?_ _Damon, she's not Elena. Look at her, Damon. Really look at her. She's not Elena. _Damon just shook his head and ignored George.

_Or is that the real problem? Do you want her to be Elena? Is that why you're so afraid to let go? Because you're really seeing Elena and not Syn? Because deep down, that's who you really want her to be? _NO! Damon answered vehemently, but he never realized that it wasn't George. That a dark, insidious voice was planting these ideas in his mind. That's not true! _Really? _It wasn't true, was it? Did he really wish he was Elena? No, he wouldn't think about it now. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe some other time.

So, he continued to kiss her softly, planting soft kisses down the side of her face, down to her neck.

"Can you take this off? I want to kiss you everywhere, I want to memorize your body," he whispered to her, _so I can have the memories when I fuck up and you look at me with hatred in your eyes, _he finished in his head. In moments, she was naked, looking at him with so much love he trembled. He would show her Damon the man tonight, he would show her how much he cared, and maybe that way she would at least have some good memories of him.

He picked her up in his arms and lay her down gently on the bed, kissing every inch of exposed skin, tasting the essence of her until she was moaning and sighing softly, until her back arched and he tasted her come on his tongue.

Then he made love to her, gently, slowly, each thrust of his cock calculated and controlled, no matter what his instincts hammered at him to do. Even when her nails drew blood and he saw her eyes flash in anger, as if she knew he wasn't really there with her. He still kept the maddeningly slow pace, until she arched her back and moaned softly, her internal muscles gently fluttering around his cock. He emptied himself inside her, his head thrown back on a silent groan as he tried to control the change.

And then he held her as he looked at her, trying to figure himself out, trying to understand what was going on inside him. She was so beautiful, both inside and out. So strong and proud as she had protected him against Elena's attacks. But the sad truth was that Elena was right. Syn didn't really know him, not really. He knew she believed she did. After all, she had fought in wars, had probably seen more death than he could fathom. But the difference was that she cared. She fought to keep people safe, because she was loving and compassionate. She would never snap and kill a room full of people for some imagined slight. She would never feel rage and fury so powerful, so all-consuming that she would happily bathe in the blood and entrails of innocent people just to get the pain to fucking stop.

And she could never simply flip the switch and feel nothing. She would never need someone like Elena to force her to keep her "humanity" switched on. She was noble, brave and beautiful and way too good for him. He would only end up hurting her and he couldn't live with himself if he put a single scratch on her.

Even now, he was battling his own selfishness, desperate to keep her from going into war to protect the people she cared about. Just like he had tried to do with Elena, and she had hated him for it. Would he be able to take the look of disgust in Syn's eyes as she realized exactly how selfish he was?

And the sad truth was that George might be right. He was afraid that his obsession with Elena ran much deeper than he had realized. Even deeper than his obsession with Katherine. What if he was trying to make Syn into Elena? Was his final thought as he drifted asleep.

* * *

><p>Syn slid out of bed without a word. Inside she felt her heart breaking but she would never show weakness. She couldn't. She had caught fragments of some of his thoughts and she had felt bad for listening in but he had been broadcasting so loudly. She also had a sneaking suspicion they were melding, but that couldn't be right. First of all, he was still clearly hung up on Elena and was treating her as a substitute, and secondly, melding was only possible between Tuathans. She shook her head.<p>

She wouldn't think of it right now. She should walk out that damn door, tell Zarek to gather the lot of them and take them back to Earth. She'd be free. She had other things to worry about. More important things. There would never be another for her, that was one thing she was certain of, but she had her pride and dignity. She wouldn't stay with a man who thought of another woman while he lay in bed with her.

Syn looked back at him, her heart softening. By the stars, she loved him. She loved him desperately and she would have given anything for him to feel a fraction of what he felt for Elena for her. But, she was Syn Ana'Xaos and too many people relied on her for her to wallow in self-pity.

He thought vampires were the only ones who could switch off their emotions? She snorted. Tuathans had the patent to that one. And that's exactly what she would do. She wouldn't allow her selfish desires and pain to interfere with what she had to do.

_But he's just confused. Come on, Syn. Give him a chance. He was in love with Katherine for 150 years and she betrayed him. Then he fell in love with Elena and she never wanted him. He stood by her side, protecting her for the better part of a year. Can you expect his feelings to change in a few days? Don't be so goddamn harsh!_ The voice of reason whispered in her head.

What should I do? Wait for him for 150 years to figure out that Elena doesn't really want him, just like Katherine? Well, guess what? I can do something useful in those 150 years. He can call me when he wakes the fuck up! Her fury responded.

_You're worse than Elena. The instant he fucks up one time, you give up on him. What the fuck is wrong with you?_

He didn't just kill someone! He fucked me and he was thinking of his love for Elena! I can understand only so much. He could have killed every last living person in Mystic Falls and I wouldn't have batted an eyelash. He could have even tried to kill her in a rage and she wouldn't have given up on him. She would have and could have forgiven him anything. But telling her to her face how much he needed her an hour before only to think of Elena while he was inside her, while she lay next to him. No, she had been wrong. Love was for the weak and she wanted no part of it.

_Syn, don't do anything stupid,_ the voice of reason tried to warn her. _He loves you, he just doesn't understand it yet._

She snorted. Oh, he knew love. He felt it so deeply and so completely but clearly not for her. She had let him make her weak and she had been a fool to trust him.

In seconds she was dressed, wearing a leather mini-skirt that tied up the sides with ribbon, which she had left loose to show off as much flesh as possible, and a deep red corset with black lace edging. A pair of fishnet stockings, heavy, black gothic boots with steel inlays and thick soles as well as a pair of black leather fingerless gloves up to her elbows completed her look. Her hair was pulled up in a tight ponytail and she sported black eye and lip makeup. This was who she really was. Not the weakling in love with Damon.

As she turned to leave, she heard him move. "Where the fuck are you going looking like that?" she heard Damon hiss.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I'm going to the party that I was supposed to be at an hour ago," she said with a shrug but didn't bother turning around.

"You are not fucking going like that!" he growled. Damon couldn't believe what she was wearing. It wasn't as if it revealed anything more than she usually wore but there was something different about her. In the set of her shoulders, in the way she held herself stiffly.

She turned on him, her eyes narrowed. "Let's get one thing straight, Damon! I'm not one of your little human friends who you can terrorize into submission. I do what I like when I fucking like it!" she snapped. And that's when he saw the change in her eyes. He didn't know what it was but he had a bad feeling that if he left her alone he wouldn't see her again.

_But you want Elena. You love Elena, _an insidious voice whispered in his mind. The image of the sweet teenage girl suddenly appeared in his mind, except there was nothing innocent about it. He saw Elena under him as he made love to her, much as he had done with Syn earlier. He loved Elena? He still loved her, didn't he? He tried to shake the thoughts off.

Didn't matter. She'd never love him and Syn was his. She wasn't going anywhere without him. "Fine. But I'm fucking coming with you," he snapped at her.

"I don't need a bodyguard. I'll be at the party," she said as she 'ported out of the room.

"Fuck! I can't believe she fucking did that," Damon growled as he quickly threw some clothes on and called the platform. What the fuck was taking so damn long?


	17. Chapter 16

As soon as Syn ported into the hall, she was assaulted by the loud music and flashing lights. She took a deep breath and stalked over to the bar. "A bottle of Zarnathian whiskey," she told the bartender who looked at her oddly. When she glared at him, he quickly grabbed a bottle of the strong drink and a glass and put them on the bar in front of her. "Charge them to my account at the Andorian and open a tab for tonight," she said to him. He simply nodded and walked away.

She filled her glass with the amber liquid and knocked it back. The fiery drink had an instant impact on her. It was at least ten times as strong as the Terran version of the stuff and it was just what she needed. Another two glasses later, she felt someone touch her elbow. She turned so fast, the person gasped, especially when she snarled.

"What do you want Stefan?" she snapped. That's just what she needed. To be reminded of the Salvatores.

"I just wanted to see if you're okay," he said, watching her intently.

"Fan-fucking-tastic," she replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you've just fucking downed three of those in less than two minutes – and I'm drinking the same thing, so I know exactly how strong it is – and because you're standing over here, on your own, giving off such pissed off vibes that everyone is steering clear of you," he growled back at her.

"So? What the fuck do you care, Stefan? Maybe you should take a page from their book and steer clear of me as well," Syn snapped, pouring herself another glass-full of whiskey and drinking it down.

"You know what? I don't fucking care," Stefan said with a shrug, even though it was a lie. He was starting to feel again, slowly but surely. "I just figured I owed you for helping me out."

Syn snorted. "Forget it, Stefan. You don't owe me crap. Now, go back to your little friends before I play with your little brain and turn you into a vegetable," she hissed at him. She just wanted space. She wanted to get really fucking drunk, pick up some guy who wanted _her_ and who would fuck her into oblivion, preferably breaking some furniture in the process.

"You don't scare me," he said with a smirk that reminded her too much of Damon. But before she could get a word out, one of the organizers of the Blood Games approached her.

"Latha Ana'Xaos," he said softly, his eyes wide and fearful. Shit, she must be really giving off some bad vibes.

"Yes," she snapped.

"A challenge has been issued," he said in a rush. "Lord Kar'nak of the planet Helios, a –"

"I know who and what he is," she said with a growl, cutting him off. "When does he want to do this?"

"Well," the little man swallowed hard. "Right now."

"Tell him to fuck off. If he wants to fight me, he can do it tomorrow, like everyone else," she growled as she drank yet another glass of the Zarnathian drink.

"Please, my lady. It would be such an honor for you to open the Games tonight," the little man tried, knowing he was pushing his luck.

Syn had been about to refuse when she saw a pissed off Damon stalking towards her. Her fury, that had abated under the onslaught of the alcohol, ratcheted up to cosmic proportions. "Fine!" she hissed. "Tell the rat-bastard to get his ass in the arena and I'll be right there to bathe in his blood."

"The fight will be held here, my lady," the little man said. "Please come with me."

Just then Damon reached her. "Didn't take you long to shack up with my brother, did it?" he snapped at her. When he had walked in and seen Stefan so close to her, touching her arm, a blinding rage consumed him. It was so fucking powerful he almost choked on it. This would not be Katherine and Elena all over again. He wouldn't let it.

Syn just glared at him. _He wants Elena, not you. He was just using you to replace her. He doesn't love you, he only loves her,_ an insidious voice whispered in her mind. She snarled. "Fuck off, Damon." She got up and pulled the little man behind her, disappearing into the crowd.

"You are a bigger idiot than I thought," Stefan said to him.

"Shut the fuck up, Stefan. You don't know what you're talking about," he snapped.

"Keep it up, Damon. She's too good for you anyway. But don't worry, you can have Elena, and I'll take care of Syn," Stefan said with a grin. "I know how to make her happy." He was trying to goad Damon into seeing the truth that was staring him in the face. As soon as he had seen the pure fury on both their faces, he'd realized Damon had done something idiotic. And one thing he had realized was that Syn wasn't one to give up easily or to back down from a fight.

Damon snarled. "You even think of touching her and I'll stake you. I swear it Stefan. Stay away from her," he hissed angrily. _But if Stefan and Syn are together, you'll have Elena_. Damon stopped. "You know what. You're right, you two are perfect for each other."

Stefan looked at his brother in stunned surprise. But before he could utter a word, the music stopped playing and a voice sounded loudly in the room. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a special surprise for you tonight!" the voice said excitedly. "A challenge has been issued and accepted and the fight begins NOW!" The crowd cheered ecstatically and started to chant "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

They heard a loud hum and saw that the floor had begun to open up. Everyone stepped back quickly, making room for the huge cage that was rising through the floor. It looked to be about the same size as their living room at the boarding house, if Stefan had to hazard a guess. He winced when he saw that the bars all had nasty looking spikes pointing inward. He wouldn't want anyone throwing him against one of the cage walls. And Syn was going to be fighting in that?

"Damon, we've got to do something," he whispered to his brother urgently.

"What the fuck are blathering about?" Damon snapped.

"Syn's going to be fighting in that cage and she's going to get herself killed. She's drunk and angry. There's no way she can do this," he hissed at Damon.

"What the hell are you talking about? Syn's not fighting anyone," Damon said with conviction. "She's too fragile and delicate to fight anyone."

Stefan looked at Damon as if he had lost his mind. "Okay, are we talking about the same person here? Is your head so far up your ass you can't separate fantasy from reality? This is Syn, not fucking Elena!" Stefan growled.

Damon just ignored him and Stefan wanted to shake him until his teeth rattled and his neurons started functioning again.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a one of a kind fight tonight! The challenger is Kar'Nak of Helios, a 7,000 year old pure vampire!" Everyone cheered as a vampire appeared in the cage. He was the biggest vampire Stefan had ever seen, standing at least seven-foot tall and built like a fricking house. He could snap Syn like a twig.

"Fuck, Damon. He's going to kill her. She can't use her powers in there. It's just her and him. We have to do something."

"Get serious. No way is Syn fighting anyone," Damon insisted stubbornly. Stefan glared at his brother and gritted his teeth. He started to push his way through the crowd, trying to reach the cage, maybe talk some sense into Syn to get her to back out. He felt Damon's breath on his neck and wanted to snap at his brother. He was suddenly interested?

"And tonight's challenge is none other than the reigning champion of the Blood Games for the 100th consecutive year!" the voice screamed in excitement, driving the crowd into a frenzy. Damon looked at Stefan and smirked.

"Told you she wasn't fighting," he said.

"And you think that why?" his brother really was blind. Didn't he see that Syn wasn't some wallflower. The woman could kick ass and take names in her fucking sleep! Hadn't Damon seen and heard the same things he had?

"Reigning champion for a hundred years? Please…" Damon scoffed.

In a bright flash of light, a figure appeared in the cage with the vampire. "Lady Syn Ana'Xaos!" the voice shouted and the crowd cheered wildly. "fight! Fight! Fight!" they all chanted. The civilized party of moments before had turned into a mob desperate for blood.

"The rules are simple. This is a fight to the death. Physical combat. No powers can be used. Otherwise, anything goes. Once the fight begins, the cage will be in lock down and the combatants cannot leave. Choose your weapons," the voice said.

"So, she can't possibly fight, can she?" Stefan mimicked Damon, who was staring angrily at the cage. "I swear sometimes that we can't possibly be related because you're so stupidly stubborn."

"She can't fight a fucking 7,000 year old vampire. He'll tear her to pieces," Damon ground out. Suddenly, he felt fear choking him. He couldn't swallow. He couldn't move. It didn't help that she wore the same outfit as earlier on. How the hell would she even be able to move in that?

"Lady Syn, I would like to offer you the honor of choosing the weapons," Kar'Nak said with a gallant bow as if he wasn't getting ready to rip her throat out.

"That is very gracious of you Lord Kar'Nak. I think I will forego weapons tonight. I find I feel the need to get a little more up close and personal," she said with a smirk. The crowd cheered at the thought of the two powerful beings ripping each other apart barehanded.

"What the hell is she doing?" Stefan gasped.

"Let the fight begin!" the voice boomed.

"Oh, my God, what's happening?" Damon heard Elena gasp. He hadn't even heard her approach but there she was standing by his side. Ignoring his brother. He looked around and saw that everyone else in their group had assembled, with Zarek standing next to Stefan, watching the cage intently.

"It's just a fight," Damon said.

"But, but, why is Syn in there?" Elena whimpered, gluing herself against Damon.

"Because she's fighting, that's why," Damon said, trying to be patient.

Syn and the vampire were circling each other. The large vampire was grinning at her, his fangs out and menacing. Syn smiled back. Suddenly, the vampire moved so fast, it didn't even register and he was standing behind Syn, his hand around her neck, his fangs in her shoulder.

Elena gasped and hid her face in his shoulder. Without realizing it, he circled her waist and pulled her in closer. He couldn't say anything. What could he say? Syn was dead. That's it. Life was a bitch and then you died.

"Zarek, we have to do something? We can't let her die," Stefan said, sounding panicked.

"There's nothing you can do," Zarek said, seemingly unfazed by what was happening to Syn.

Syn looked right at Damon, their eyes locking. Her gaze moved to Elena and he saw her smirk. But it wasn't the usual, funny and sarcastic smirk she usually wore. No, this was menacing, feral, brutal. And then he watched her tear herself out of the vampire's hold, his teeth ripping a large piece of flesh from her shoulder. The crowd gasped.

"Fuck!" both he and Stefan said at the same time, cringing. Syn hadn't even winced. She looked passively at her shoulder, where dark blue blood was pouring down, over her chest and back, soaking her corset, turning it a dark shade.

"Really, Kar'Nak? That's all you've got," she taunted. When the vampire rushed her again, Syn jumped straight up, grabbing the overhead bars, ignoring the spikes that stuck through her hands, coming out the other side. She raised her legs up and kicked the vampire in the back of the head, propelling him straight into the bars, the crowd cheering in approval.

Kar'Nak roared as the spikes penetrated his body. He pushed himself off the spikes and Damon heard Elena gasp at the blood running down his torso. The vampire whirled around, preparing to engage Syn again. This time, though, he seemed to take more time to actually think about his next move. He stepped sideways, walking slowly, but Syn turned with him, not letting him get behind her.

He moved in closer to Syn, attempting to use his strength against her. So, he kicked out, catching Syn in the center of her chest, throwing her clear across the cage and into the spikes. Stefan didn't know if he could take much more of this. Syn was suspended at least five feet up on the spikes and didn't move a muscle. She hadn't even screamed once. Yet her eyes were wide open, watching, assessing, cold and calculating. How she could take so much punishment, he didn't know.

She tugged and her arms slid off the spikes. She allow her body to fall forward. Kar'Nak watched gleefully as his opponent fell to the ground. But a second before she hit the ground, she tucked her head down and rolled onto her back, propelling herself onto her feet in seconds, moving even faster than the vampire had, and positioning herself perfectly for the roundhouse kick she delivered straight to his face. The vampire was knocked onto his back and lay there for a moment.

Seconds later, he was up and had sunk his fangs in the only area he could, Syn's side. Since she was standing up, this put the vampire in a precarious position, but instead of going in for the kill, instead of punching through his back to disable him. She stuck her hand in his hair and ripped him off her, not even grimacing when he tore another chunk of flesh from her.

"She's toying with him," Damon and Stefan heard Zarek say. "I hate it when she's in one of these moods."

"What do you mean toying? Are you insane? He's taking chunks out of her!" Stefan exclaimed.

"Only because she's letting him," Zarek said with a sigh. He needed to talk to her and soon. Things never went well when she was in these moods.

Syn still had hold of the vampire's hair and stared down at him. "Fool vampire," she whispered, as she brought her fist down into his face, his nose disintegrating, blood spattering everywhere. He howled and crumpled to his knees, but she didn't let him go, basically holding his entire weight up by his hair. She pulled him up and ripped his throat out. Blood sprayed all over her and Kar'Nak gurgled, trying to stem the blood loss. It wouldn't kill him, he'd regenerate in moments, but he'd be too weak to fight if he lost too much blood.

She threw him on the floor and watched him, waiting. "Do you always take this long to heal? Are you sure you're 7,000 years old? You feel more like a 200 hundred year old Terran vampire who's too stupid to know what he's up against. Is that you, Kar'Nak?" He snarled at her, jumping to his feet and charging again. Due to the loss of blood, he seemed slower and less coordinated. Syn rolled her eyes and simply side-stepped him, and jumped up into another roundhouse kick, this time planting her boot firmly in the middle of his back, propelling him into the spikes again.

The vampire groaned and fell backwards onto the floor. "Finish him! Finish him! Finish him!" the crowd chanted.

She grinned menacingly at them and then dropped to one knee next to Kar'Nak. "Do you yield?" she asked. "If you yield, I will spare your life," she said softly, so softly Damon almost hadn't been able to hear her. He knew Elena certainly couldn't hear a thing.

"I will never yield to a Tuathan bitch. If you let me live, I will destroy everyone you love. I will hunt down your children and feast upon their flesh. I will make you…" he never got to finish as she slammed her fist into his chest, pulling out his heart. She looked at it and looked down at the vampire.

"I don't have children," she said with a small shrug. "That's why you get to keep your spine." He could hear the vampire try to gurgle something. Damn, these pure vampires didn't go down easily. "But your life is forfeit for threatening the people I love." She rose gracefully to her feet, the black organ still in her hand. She looked at the crowd and they still yelled for blood. She smirked and then her face changed, as her eyes went red and her fangs extended. She looked back at Damon and Elena and smiled coldly, the eerie menace only amplified by her fangs and blood red eyes. She brought the heart up to her mouth and bit into it, drinking down the blood. As the heart emptied it began to dry and crumble.

She allowed the remnants to fall to the floor and looked out at the crowd, who were cheering wildly and chanting her name.

"Looks like I've still got it," she said and everyone laughed. "Anyone else wanna have a go?" When silence was the only answer, she shrugged. "Pity, I was just getting warmed up."

"The winner of tonight's match and the first of this year's Blood Games is Lady Syn Ana'Xaos," the voice announced and everyone started clapping and cheering wildly. One side of the cage opened and Syn sauntered out, her gait relaxed, as if she wasn't covered in her own blood and the blood of a vampire.

Zarek was waiting for her. "What is wrong with you?" he snapped.

"Nothing. Should there be?"

"Did you really have to let yourself get torn up like that?" he growled at her, grabbing hold of her and shaking her. Syn rolled her eyes.

"Zarek, baby, chill. I'm cool. See, no harm done. Just a few love bites that have healed," she said, trying to reassure Zarek. She might be pissed at Damon, but never Zarek. He was her dearest friend. She didn't like the fact that he had worried about her when she had just been working off some anger at Damon. Okay, call it fury with a dash of rage and a spot of homicidal maniac thrown in. When she had seen Damon and Elena cuddling, she had felt a red haze blind her. She wanted to maim, torture and kill. Luckily for her, she was already in the cage. Unlucky for the vampire, though.

"Don't do it again!" Zarek said through gritted teeth as he pulled her into a tight embrace. "Now, go upstairs and take a shower."

"But I can…"

"I want to know you're up safe in your room and aren't pissing anyone off, okay? So get up there, now!" Zarek interrupted. Syn was about to argue when she saw Damon approaching her. She snarled and disappeared, porting into their room. She'd have a quick shower, grab her stuff and be out of there before he had a chance of getting through the throng of people in the Great Hall.

She could use her powers to clean up, but she needed to feel hot water pelting her skin, massaging her muscles. She needed to feel something other than this all-consuming rage that twisted in her gut. The rage that she couldn't let go of because if she did all that would be left was despair and she'd crumble. She couldn't afford to break now because she might never be able to recover. There was too much at stake for that to happen.

She walked into the large bathroom and ripped her clothes off, throwing them on the floor. She padded to the corner of the bathroom and swept her hand over the panel, selecting the water temperature and strength of the spray when the options appeared on the screen. She didn't bother with the force-field that would usually enclose the area. She was alone and didn't have anyone to hide from. The water came down in a powerful spray and it was almost scalding, making her gasp.

The pain was welcome. Physical pain would take her mind off Damon and the monumental disaster her night had turned out to be. As she thought of him and those beautiful blue eyes of his, of the pain and uncertainty she felt inside him, her heart began to soften slightly. Maybe she should look for him and they could talk things through.

_But he loves Elena. Do you really want to be with a vampire who's just using you because he can't have what he really wants? Are you that pathetic? _a voice whispered in her mind, clouding her mind with rage and fury.

How dare he? How could he pretend he cared for her only to turn around and embrace Elena? No, she was through with him. She'd pack her stuff and head out to Tertnak, the main defense outpost on the border of Krag space. Even if she technically had another two weeks leave, they were undermanned and she knew they could use the help. She'd allow the squadron to finish their leave and she'd see them there. Zarek could stay and guard Elena. At least out there, she'd be able to channel her anger and pain into something productive.

She was so deep in thought that she never heard the outer door open or the annoyed vampire who stalked into the room. She didn't notice the bathroom doors slide open or the vampire who stood there, watching her for a moment, his cock hard enough to hammer nails in concrete. Even if he was losing his mind, his body still knew exactly what it wanted.

She never noticed his blue eyes narrow, as rage shook him to his core. Rage that she would dismiss him so casually. Anger that she would treat him like a piece of shit and then disappear, with no explanations. Fucking boiling hot fury that she'd put herself in danger. And even worse that now he wanted her more than ever before. That her bloodthirsty display, the way she had ignored the pain and played with a fucking 7,000 year old vampire, the way she had ripped into him and emptied his heart of blood, the way she had casually informed the dying vampire that his biggest mistake had been to threaten the people she loved had turned him into a walking, seething mass of furious hormones.

He had panicked. He had felt white hot rage and raw, burning lust. He wanted to slap her. He wanted to punish her. To teach her a lesson about putting herself in fucking danger and scaring the crap out of him like that. And she just stood there, letting the water pour down that fucking sinfully erotic body of hers, her long hair plastered to her back, completely oblivious to his presence or his inner turmoil.

"I'm fucking finished with this crap. I'm out of here and I'm not fucking coming back," he heard her whisper. And that's when he snapped. She thought she'd leave him? Fuck no! She had pushed him, she had wanted him to be himself? Fine! She'd fucking get it alright.

He stalked into the shower fully dressed and was drenched in moments. He grabbed her arm, turned her around before she could blink and slammed her so hard against the wall the tiles cracked.

"You think you're going to leave me, you little bitch," he hissed angrily, his face inches from hers. "You think you can fucking tell me you love me and the skip out on me like I'm a piece of shit. No, babe, you don't get to fucking do that."

"Get your fucking hands off me!" she growled, her eyes flashing angrily.

"You are mine! I can do what I fucking like!" he growled.

"I belong to no one, and certainly not to fucking you," she snarled at him.

"That's where you're wrong. You said you love me so you damn well do belong to me," he snarled back, fury and lust combining and running through his veins like molten lava.

"I fucking lied!" she screamed at him. "I don't love you. I never did. I was just fucking using you!" She wanted to kill him. She wanted to ram her hand in his chest and rip out his heart. She wanted… She wanted. Fuck. She wanted him. Fucking desperately. No, he was a rat bastard. He didn't deserve her forgiveness.

"Lying bitch," he snarled. "Take it back!"

"Never!" she growled back, breathing hard. His eyes narrowed, his lips curled back into a menacing snarl and then he slammed his lips against hers. She wouldn't open to him, her lips a tight line.

He growled at her. "Fucking open your mouth," he snarled. She shook her head belligerently.

He grabbed hold of her jaw and squeeze, forcing her mouth open and then he attacked. He wasn't kissing her, he was punishing her. He used his teeth, his tongue and everything at his disposal to punish her for lying to him. He dominated her, mashing his mouth against hers so hard her lips would have been in shreds if she had been human. He was trying to push her into a response but the insane woman wouldn't give a fucking inch.

His anger reached boiling point and he felt himself vamp out but instead of forcing the predator back, he gave it free reign. She was going to get all of him, the good, the bad and the fucking terrifying. He sank his teeth into her bottom lip, drawing blood. He groaned. Fuck, she tasted good. She tore away from him, and glared.

"You fucking bastard," she snarled at him.

"Damn bitch," he snarled back. And that's when she attacked him. Her hand came up, grabbed hold of his shirt and yanked him against her as she slammed her mouth against his, her other arm going around his neck, holding him against her as she assaulted him, her tongue sweeping into his mouth, running across his fangs, pricking her tongue against them, making them both moan.

She sucked his tongue into her mouth hard, as one of her legs came up to circle his waist. He growled into her mouth and picked her up, so she could wind her legs around him, her heated cunt pressing against his desperately aching cock encased in wet denim. He ground himself hard against her and Syn cried out into his mouth.

Syn hated him. She fucking hated the rat bastard. She wanted to kill him for making her want him. For making her so damn desperate for him that she was practically climbing all over him. She could throttle him. She could set him on fucking fire. She could… oh fucking hell he tasted so good! She let her fangs drop down and bit into his lip, mirroring his earlier action. He gasped and she moaned at the taste of his blood. It was like fucking ambrosia. It was better. She could drink his blood for the rest of eternity and never get enough.

He moved suddenly, slamming her against the opposite wall so they were no longer under the spray of water. She grunted at the impact but it only made her wilder, her hand sinking into his hair and yanking his head back so she could trail her tongue down his neck. "Bitch," he hissed.

"Bastard," she snapped back, yanking head back into a kiss. He wrenched his lips from hers.

"Take it back," he snarled at her again. She couldn't fuck him tell him she loved him and then pretend she lied. He wouldn't let her get away with it.

Syn growled. He just wouldn't fucking let it go, would he? Well she sure as shit wasn't going to open herself up to him again just to have her heart trampled on again. She trailed her hands down to his chest, the wet fabric of his shirt cold to her touch, unwound her legs and gave him a massive shove, sending him flying across the bathroom. He crashed into the wall, the wall almost buckling against the pressure and slid down into a heap onto the floor. She landed on her feet and was dressed in a pair of jeans and a tank top in seconds.

"Fuck you, Damon," she snarled as she turned and stomped out into the room, heading for the door. Damon was up in seconds and sped out, sinking a hand in her hair and yanking her backwards against him.

She cried out in surprise more than anything else and fell back against him. "That's the fucking idea, baby," he growled into her ear, and he licked her neck, from her shoulder up to her ear. When she shivered, he smiled triumphantly. He grabbed hold of her crotch, pulling her ass hard against his cock, pressing against her, using the seam of her jeans to rub harshly against her clit.

Syn's legs were quaking. Fuck it felt good and she was close to coming, it wasn't funny. She'd never gotten off so fast or so easily before. She moaned, letting her head fall back on his shoulder. His triumphant chuckle, though, pissed her off. She growled and wrenched herself out of his embrace, turning to stare at him, her lips curled back, showing her teeth, fury flashing in her eyes.

Fuck, he looked so damn hot standing there, all wet, his jet black hair mussed, his blue eyes flashing, his nostrils flaring, anger and lust rolling off him in waves. She fucking needed him. She shoved him so he slammed hard into the wall and another crack appeared. She followed him in seconds, her hands scrabbling to open his shirt. She needed to touch his skin, she needed…

He ripped her tank top in two and grabbed hold of her breast, she bit into his chest, her fangs sinking in, just above his nipple. He slammed his fists against the wall, leaving imprints, and cried out at the sensation of her fangs sinking into him. It was fucking out of this world. It was like he was being electrocuted, pain and pleasure mingling so perfectly he was shaking. She bit him, over and over again until he thought he'd come from her bite alone. He looked down at her and she snorted at him, triumph flashing in her green gaze.

Hell, no! He could see what she was thinking. She wanted to make him come first. Fuck that! She wasn't going to fucking win this game, even though watching her lick up the rivulets of blood running down his chest was one of the hottest things he'd ever fucking seen, especially when she moaned. He wrenched what was left of his shirt off and grabbed her by the hair, pulling her up and turning them around fast so she was pinned against the wall.

"This is a game you can't fucking win," he snarled in her ear as the heal of his palm press hard against her cunt. He groaned, feeling her heat through the denim, and he began to move, to rotate, pressing harder and harder until her hips were moving involuntarily. He heard a crack and looked up. She had thrown her head back against the wall, her mouth open in a silent scream. She was close. He could tell. So fucking close.

"Take it back," he snapped at her. She opened her eyes and stared at him. She was going to take it back.

"Fuck off," she spat at him. The stubborn bitch just wouldn't give an inch and it fucking turned him on beyond reason.

He stopped what he was doing, knowing it would piss her off. "Take. It. Back" he punctuated each word with a growl.

Syn's eyes narrowed. He didn't want to let her come. Fine! He could go fuck himself. "Don't ever touch me again," she snarled at him and slapped him so hard he was knocked back on the floor. She turned around to head out but before she could take two steps he had picked her up and thrown her so she was sailing through the air. She landed with a grunt on the bed and before she could get her bearings, he was on top of her.

"I can touch you whenever I fucking like," he hissed furiously at her.

And then he captured one of her nipples in his mouth, biting down hard, making her cry out, her hand grabbing hold of his hair and holding his mouth to her. Her hips came up, rubbing her sopping wet cunt against his erection. Fuck, he could turn her into a pile of mush with a single growl, let alone when he was acting all fucking dominant.

"Go on, tell me not to touch you again," he taunted as he started to yank her jeans off, dragging them down her legs. Her eyes narrowed, her nostrils flared. She waited for the perfect moment. The moment when his balance would be off.

"Don't fucking touch me. I don't want you," she ground out, shoving him hard so that he fell backwards, off the bed and onto the floor. She didn't wait to see what he would do. She jumped to her feet and was off running towards the door. She didn't make it three steps from the bed before he tackled her. They crashed to the floor, with her face down while he was lying half on top of her.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" he ground out. He grabbed the back of her neck and held her down, his other hand pulling her legs apart and sliding between the lips of her cunt.

"Fuck, baby, you're so wet," he groaned, when his fingers encountered the evidence of her desire. He drove two fingers into her fast and she arched her back, moaning. "Is this how you don't want me?" he sneered at her.

"It's an involuntary response, jackass," she threw back at him. Even if he had turned her on beyond the point of any rational thought, she would not give him the fucking satisfaction of knowing what he was doing to her.

"Tell me you want me," he snarled, wanting to hear the words, needing to hear her say them. When she refused to say anything, he pulled his fingers out of her and tore at his jeans. He struggled to open them and free his cock. He couldn't risk getting off her, or she'd bolt again. In seconds, he had pulled her up by her hips so she was on her knees, with her chest still on the floor and he rammed his cock into her. The both cried out as he lodged himself as deep as he could go, her muscles clamping down on him so hard he thought he was going to pass out. But he wouldn't give her time to recover. He needed her off balance. So, he withdrew and drove his hips forward again, with all his strength.

"Fuck!" she cried out and Damon gritted his teeth. He pistoned into her, his flesh slapping against hers as he picked up speed, going faster and faster, slamming home harder and harder, his fingers gripping her hips so hard he was sure he was hurting her but couldn't give a flying fuck with the way she was writhing on the floor, pushing back against him.

"Tell me you fucking want me," he growled.

"Shut the fuck up, Damon!" she snapped at him. So, he stopped. She snarled in frustration. "Fucking bastard!" He knew she had been close. He flipped her over, lifted her legs onto his shoulders, and impaled her. The new position tightened her even more and the sensation had his eyes rolling back into his head.

"Too fucking tight, too fucking good," he hissed, trying to maintain control. Soon, he was pounding into her with all his strength, watching as she thrashed her head from side to side. Her hands came up, grabbing his shoulders, sinking her nails in and drawing blood. He sucked in a breath, the sting of pain bringing him that much closer to the end. But he'd be damned if he let her get away with it. She'd fucking tell him she wanted him, even if it meant he had to fuck her for the next three days and not come.

Her eyes flew open, her lips drew back into a snarl and she hissed at him. "Bite me!"

His face vamped out instantly and he slowed his thrusts, afraid he'd lose it. Her fucking order to bite her was beyond hot and his cock agreed, swelling even more. He turned his head to her calf and grazed her with his fangs. She whimpered.

"Tell me you want me," he purred evilly.

He saw the stubborn look in her eyes and wasn't surprised when she clamped her lips shut. He pulled back and plunged into her hard, twisting his hips, hitting her G-spot hard, making her scream.

"Tell me you fucking want me," he growled at her, as he grazed her calf again with his fangs.

"Yes, damn you, I fucking want you! I want you so bad it's killing me!" she shouted at him and he smirked triumphantly at her. "Now fucking bite me," she snapped. He began his assault on her cunt again, ramming his cock inside her, twisting his hips on the downward thrust, and then he sank his fangs into her calf.

He didn't think it would be possible to lust after her even more than he did, but he had been wrong. The fucking taste of her blood pouring down his throat as he slammed into her hot, tight cunt was out of this world. She was crying out, screaming his name. "Don't stop, Damon! If you stop I swear I'll fucking kill you!"

He would have laughed, if he could, but the sensations assaulting him were so fucking intense and brutal, he couldn't even think. And then she shattered around him with a long, keening scream, her muscles clamping down, fluttering along his length with such strength that he tumbled over the edge with her. It was the most intensely brutal and vicious orgasm he had ever experienced. He roared as he felt the fire rush through his veins and shoot out of his cock into her, filling her with his seed, marking her as his. He pumped his hips involuntarily because he just couldn't stop. She slid her legs down around his waist, her hips moving to meet his, her hand grabbing onto his neck, jerking him down, "What have you done to me?" she hissed at him, "I'm still fucking coming," she said as she fused her lips to hers.

He couldn't answer. His whole body was trembling as the climax kept rolling through him. If he had been human, his heart would have probably given out. Fuck, he'd never get enough of her. When he felt her relax, he collapsed on top of her. He couldn't move. His bones had liquefied.

Syn pushed him off her and he landed with a thud next to her. She looked at him and instantly wanted him again. She wanted more. She wanted him like this, with no control, wild, primal and almost feral. Her lips curled into a wicked smile.

She jumped up and dressed herself, schooling her features into a mask of indifference. "You're a half-decent fuck, but I've got stuff to do. I'll be seeing you," she threw over her shoulder as she walked towards the door.

Damon snarled. She wasn't fucking going anywhere. He was up instantly, grabbing hold of her, slamming her back against the wall, pushing himself against her, getting into her personal space, his lips inches from hers. "You're not fucking leaving me," he snapped.

She grinned at him, surprising him. "Make me," she challenged as she gave him a shove, making him stumble backwards.

He smirked, a wicked glint in his eye. "My fucking pleasure," he snarled.

Five hours, umpteen orgasms and a totally trashed room later, they lay on the bed exhausted, Syn's head resting on his chest, while his hand curled around her, anchoring her to him.

"I hate you," she mumbled.

He grinned. "I hate you, too."

"Bastard," she whispered.

"Bitch," he whispered back.

* * *

><p>"Is this the only way?" Lucifer asked the three cloaked figures in front of him.<p>

"Yes, we have seen it," they replied.

"But, I can't hand over my baby…" Morrighan trailed off.

"There must be another way," Lucifer said adamantly, knowing it wasn't a good idea to piss off the fates, but still.

"There isn't. They have to go through this, if we are to prevail."

"He'll hate her," Morrighan whispered.

"At first yes, until he realizes the truth. We cannot intervene extensively, or we might change the outcome, but we can make suggestions."

"And she'll hate him," Lucifer pointed out the obvious.

"They will hate each other but their hate will transform into a deeper meld, a deeper connection. It is the only way. The High Council has become corrupt, they have turned to the Krag way of thinking and are working from within to destroy us. They have already tried to break them apart by planting insidious suggestions. Fortunately, they did not succeed because even in anger they still love each other."

"So, why do they have to go through this?"

"Because it is the only way for them to grow together, to meld and unite. He will help her control the darkness and she will help him into the light. Apart, they will suffer a great deal, but when they find each other again, they will be reborn like the Phoenix from the ashes and they will lead us to victory," the Fates said.

"I hope you're right. Because if you aren't, I will come for you," Lucifer growled.

"We have seen it. It is the future."


	18. Chapter 17

Lucifer looked at his wife, a frown marring his features. "I have to tell her, Morgan," he sighed.

"No, Luke. You can't. Don't you think I want to warn her? Don't you think I want to grab my baby and lock her up in her room here to keep her safe?" she cried. "But if we interfere –"

"If you interfere, she will die," Clotho interrupted as she appeared in front of them. Lucifer glared.

"What are you doing here?" he growled at her.

"I came to warn you. I knew you would want to tell her. So, I came to save her life and, in the process, millions of worlds."

"Go on," Lucifer said, tight-lipped.

"If Syn learns of what will come to pass, you are changing the future. You will be ensuring her death. We have seen it. Rather than death, I believe pain and suffering are preferable. The universe is aligning and it shall come to pass very soon. She will believe her lover has betrayed her with another, as that is what the High Council want her to believe. They want her alone and vulnerable. And you know exactly why."

"I do not care about millions of worlds. I will not see my daughter suffer," Lucifer snapped.

Clotho just shook her head. "We both know that you care, Lucifer. And trust me, I wish there was another way but there isn't. We have to allow their separation because it is the only way the vampire will come to understand that Syn is his other half. It is the only way he will have the strength to do what is necessary. But I have done what I can to make things easier for her, to at least get the word out of what has happened. While we cannot interfere, for we might change things too radically, I have planted a suggestion. When she leaves for Tertnak tomorrow, another will go with her."

"Zarek?" Lucifer asked.

"No, another. The dragon shifter will remain with the human, to guard her, as per your request," the Fate sister said.

"My request? If I remember right, it was you who told me this had to be done," Lucifer pointed out. Morrighan looked at him in surprise.

"That is true but it is irrelevant right now. It was all orchestrated to ensure the meeting between Syn and Damon took place at the right time. Now, the rest of the story must unfold. But I promise you this. They will prevail and they will lead our worlds to victory. And while their lives will never be boring and there will always be danger, they will live a love that will become legendary. They will be together for eternity," Clotho promised them.

Lucifer looked at the Fate and nodded. If the Fates decreed something, that was how it would be. He relaxed a fraction, though he still wasn't happy with the idea.

"Your Pantheon will have to be prepared to help the vampire when he is ready," Clotho warned.

"I know. But how will I know he is ready?"

"You will know," she said and disappeared.

* * *

><p>Syn opened her eyes slowly and stretched. She looked over to Damon who was still fast asleep and grinned. She had known that once he let loose, once he allowed himself to be who he really was, he would be incredible. And she had been right. She had never come that hard or that many times in one night in her life.<p>

After lying in bed for twenty minutes, she didn't have any patience left so she got up. She didn't want to wake Damon up so she had a quick shower and got dressed, pulling on a pair of black leather pants and a black tank top. She wore the same boots she had the evening before because they were great for kicking the shit out of her opponents. She knew she'd have a few matches today because everyone wanted the glory of saying they had beaten her. She might as well be prepared.

_Zarek, you wanna check on Damon in about an hour? I'm going down to check the Blood Games schedule for the day,_ she pathed to Zarek.

_Sure,_ answered Zarek in a sleepy voice.

_Cool, I'll see you over lunch._

_See you later, Syn, _Zarek said. She 'ported down to the lobby, deciding to take a walk.

* * *

><p>Damon woke up and groaned when he tried to turn over. He was hard as a rock. What the hell? And then memories of last night came flooding in. He grinned when he remembered the night he had spent with Syn. It had been amazing and intense. Violent and vicious but, hell, it was the best sex he'd ever had. He hadn't even realized it was possible to feel like that.<p>

Then he frowned remembering her fight, feeling his anger start to stir. He reached out for her blindly, wanting to make sure she got it through her thick skull that she wasn't going to put herself in danger again. When his hand met only cold sheets, he growled, jumping up. Where the fuck was she?

He checked the bathroom and it was empty. She was gone. He snarled. _You should be happy, you can have Elena now. She wants you too, _a voice whispered in his mind. "Shut up!" he snarled. "I don't want Elena." He quickly pulled his signature black jeans and boots on and dragged a dark grey shirt over his head.

As he was about to stalk out in search of the goddess who seemed intent on driving him insane, he ran smack into Zarek, who was yawning.

"Hey," he said. "Come on. Syn sent me to get you. We're meeting downstairs." Damon just nodded and got on the platform. She could have waited for him.

When he saw her sitting at a table with the rest of the gang he felt his anger ratchet up a notch. Why was Stefan sitting on the bench next to her? Why was he staring at her as if the sun and moon rose with her?

"So, how did you become a commander?" Ric was asking.

"Just like any other person. Joined the army, took on the craziest and most dangerous missions and worked my way up," he heard her reply.

"Zarek told us a little about the war and the Krag. I'm guessing they're not nice," Ric said, apparently trying to get more information out of her.

Syn laughed. "That's the understatement of the millennium. Let's just say that they make Klaus look like a lovable fairy." At that, Ric's eyebrows almost hit his hairline.

The girls seemed to be gossiping on their own, probably about their shopping sprees, while Jeremy, Tyler and Stefan were hanging off her every word. It was pissing him off.

He stalked over to the table and threw himself down next to her. "Morning," he snapped. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow and then glared, her smile disappearing.

"Morning," she snapped back and turned back to Ric.

"Please tell me you aren't going to be fighting in the Blood Games anymore. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw you last night," Stefan said and Damon gritted his teeth.

"Actually, I'm fighting all week. A couple of matches a day. I need to keep my title," she said with a grin. "And I've been doing it for a long time, so don't worry. I'll be fine."

"I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw you last night," Elena said. "It was as if you were a completely different person. So cold and ruthless," she whispered.

Syn laughed. "Should I have asked him not to kill me nicely?" she asked the girl, who flinched a little.

"You didn't have to take part," Elena answered softly. She just couldn't understand the necessity for all this violence. And she was jealous of Syn. There, she admitted it. She was jealous because Syn could give both Damon and Stefan what they wanted and she couldn't. Syn didn't freak out when they vamped out. She didn't tremble in her boots if they moved a little too fast. And if they came at her, she could slap them down before they could breathe.

"Great plan. Then I'd have to fight ten times as many morons who would think Earth was open for the taking," she shrugged. "No thanks. I'd rather beat the living crap out of them once a year here and know that Earth is safe while I'm away."

"What do you mean?" Ric asked.

"It's a big universe and there are always other civilizations looking to conquer, especially a resource rich planet like Earth. We usually fight them off but by being the Blood Games champion I am, essentially, declared the strongest fighter in the Tuathan Alliance, which means that they aren't as keen to take me on. Ergo, fewer idiots to attack Earth," she explained.

Ric's eyes widened. "And we thought we had issues," he said with a small laugh. Elena's mouth was practically hanging open. She had been pissed at Syn when she had called her insignificant last night but now, after learning about the Krag and finding out her planet was a constant target, she realized she really was completely insignificant.

"My point exactly," Syn said with a grin.

"I don't want you fighting," Damon said suddenly.

"And I don't want the Krag to enslave and torture people. We don't always get what we want," she said pointedly.

"I don't see the point of putting yourself in danger needlessly," he continued stubbornly.

"Give it up Damon. I've been doing this for a hell of a long time. And it might surprise you that I've been running my own life for nearly five millennia. I think I can make my own decisions," she hissed at him.

"Nearly getting yourself ripped apart is a brilliant fucking decision," Damon snarled, turning towards her, his body tense, ready to do battle.

Her nostrils flared. "This coming from the genius who stalked a chick for a hundred and fifty years, even though she didn't want to have anything to do with him," she snapped back. Everyone gasped, waiting for Damon to explode.

"Fuck Katherine. I don't give a shit about her. You aren't setting foot in one of those cages again," he snarled at her. That really made everyone's jaws fall to their knees. Damon glossing over Syn's jibe about Katherine only to continue berating her about her fighting was something none of them had expected.

"Oh really?" she sneered. "You can fuck off. I've already told you about trying to terrorize me into doing what you want. Doesn't work, got it?"

Damon snorted. "I don't give a crap. You aren't fighting and that's final." Everyone at the table was following the conversation as if they were at a tennis match.

Syn glared. "Go order Elena around. That shit doesn't work with me," she snarled at him, standing up. "I'm outta here." Everyone, except for Elena, tried to hide their laughter at Syn's comment.

Damon grabbed her hand. "You aren't going any-fucking-where," he hissed at her angrily and yanked her down, so she landed in his lap. He almost groaned. God, fighting with her was such a turn-on. It was becoming a sick, twisted type of foreplay and he was really starting to love it.

Syn was vibrating with need. At some point, their argument had turned from hostile to erotic.

"Bastard," she snapped at him.

"Bitch," he snarled back. So, she did the only thing she could. She grabbed him by his shirt, yanked him forward and crashed her lips against his. He tangled a hand in her hair, holding her tight as he devoured her mouth. When they broke apart, they stared at each other and grinned.

"They're insane," Caroline whispered. Syn turned and saw that everyone was looking at them in shock. She just laughed and Damon chuckled.

"They don't get us, babe," she whispered to Damon.

"Who cares?" he replied with a grin. "Wanna get out of here?" he asked her, waggling his eyebrows.

"Thought you'd never ask," she said as she leaned in and kissed him. "Bastard," she whispered against his lips, running her tongue along them.

"Bitch," he moaned and with that they both disappeared from view.

* * *

><p>That afternoon, Damon stood, his feet shoulder-width apart, his arms crossed over his chest, his body stiff, and glared at the cage in front of him. Of course she had won the argument. She had pointed out that she fought all the time and this was to keep billions safe. He had agreed in the end, even though he knew Syn would have done it whether he agreed or not. But it had made him feel good that his opinion mattered to her. She had told him she didn't want to fight knowing he was angry with her. And he had proceeded to show her that he was the man in their relationship by promptly melting into a puddle of mush and kissing her senseless.<p>

Still didn't mean he was happy with the idea of her fighting a whatever-you-call-it. Oh, yeah, a Zarnathian. Apparently it was the same species as Gr'yndl, her giant, blue, tentacled friend. His stomach was already churning in terror.

"Damon," he heard a female voice say but he took no notice, his eyes fixed on the cage, waiting for the fight to begin in a few minutes. He had warned her that if she let herself get maimed like the night before, he was going to spank her. He grinned at the memory.

"_If I see you let that thing draw even one drop of blood pointlessly, like last night, I'm going to spank you until you can't sit down," Damon snarled. She just looked at him with that cocky look on her face that made him want to kiss her silly._

"_Threatening a girl with a good time isn't going to get you what you want, you know," she purred. He groaned, grabbing her and pulling her against him. _

"_You drive me insane, woman. Don't get hurt tonight and I'll spank you any time you like," he had tried a different approach._

"_Mmm," she murmured against his lips. "You've got a deal."_

"Damon," the voice tried again and this time someone tugged on his arm.

"What?" he snapped. He looked to the side and saw Elena, who had paled considerably at his aggressive reaction. His features softened slightly. "What is it Elena?" he asked, his tone gentler.

"I need to talk to you," she pronounced, her bottom lip still trembling. She drew herself up to her full height as she tried to school her features into a commanding and menacing look. Damon tried hard not to laugh, gritting his teeth to maintain his composure. Elena couldn't look menacing no matter how hard she tried. It was probably the fear and uncertainty in her chocolate eyes and the trembling lip that gave her away. The smell of apprehension rolling off her didn't help her image either. Nor the hesitation she was displaying.

"Well, what is it?" he asked, becoming impatient. He wanted to keep his eyes on the fight to make sure Syn was alright and while he cared for Elena, he was certain that whatever it was it could wait till later. It wasn't as if she was in danger of dying.

"Not here, in private," Elena insisted.

Damon hesitated. For some reason he didn't like the direction of this conversation and he wasn't all too comfortable with the idea of having a discussion with Elena in private, oddly enough. But when her eyes pleaded and begged, he suddenly felt like a heel, as if he'd kicked a puppy. "Fine," he relented, "but after the match."

"Can't we go now? Please. It's really important," she pressed on.

"No, Elena," Damon didn't even hesitate. "After the match," he said, his tone hard and unyielding, the warning more than clear.

"Okay," she whispered, her eyes widening.

Damon listened as the presenter did his spiel, introducing the Zarnathian and then Syn. The Zarnathian wasn't quite as gallant as the vampire from the night before when asked to choose weapons and opted for some really wicked looking daggers with serrated edges that Damon was sure were as long as his forearm. She'd be fine. He'd seen her with sharp objects. She could handle herself. She'd be absolutely fine, he kept repeating to himself.

When the match started, Damon held his breath. They circled each other, Syn looking as relaxed as ever while the Zarnathian looked like he was about to bring up his lunch. He looked closer at Syn and realized she was studying the Zarnathian intently, her eyes flitting all over his body.

The Zarnathian then decided to rush her, his tentacles outstretched as if he could trap her with them. As he watched Syn, Damon could see her considering her options, dismissing them until she landed on a solution she clearly favored. The whole process had taken milliseconds but it was fascinating to Damon to watch how she fought. To learn from her.

She started to run… straight towards the Zarnathian! Was she nuts? What was she doing, playing a game of chicken? What followed was beyond impressive, for the perfect timing it required alone. Syn ran towards the Zarnathian, jumped, planted her foot on the creature's knee, in mid-run, to propel herself upwards, catching hold of a handful of tentacles in each hand, while vaulting over the thing's head. She landed with her back to the creature and used the momentum as well as his tentacles to throw him over her head so that he landed face down in front of her.

Within moments, she was straddling the Zarnathian's back, her dagger at his jugular. "Do you yield?" she asked. The creature nodded. "Very well. You shall live. And take some advice. Train for another decade or so before signing up for the Blood Games, okay?" she said with a smile and a wink.

The crowd was rather displeased that they would not get their death, chanting "Kill him! Kill him! Kill Him!" Syn growled and rounded on them so fast everyone took a step back.

"Do we really need more pointless death?" she snapped at all of them. "You want to see death and blood for the sake of it? Then go to the fucking front and fight! Don't hide out here like cowards and expect others to give their lives for your entertainment," she spat out and they all looked back at her contrite. "He does not deserve to die today. And it takes more courage to admit defeat than to accept death. In death, the pain and suffering is over…" she trailed off.

Damon watched her shake her head as if trying to remove less than pleasant memories. He'd have to ask her what she meant after he kissed her silly for keeping her promise and not getting hurt.

As he was about to head over to Syn, he heard Elena. "Damon, can we go now?" He looked back at her and then at Syn.

"In a minute," he said as he jogged over to Syn. When she stepped out of the cage, he grinned at her and scooped her up in his arms, swinging her around. She laughed, throwing her head back. "You were amazing," he whispered in her ear.

"And I kept my word," she said with a small wink.

"Shall we go and celebrate?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows.

"Since when do you ask for permission?" she asked and Damon took a step back, staring at her. Then it hit him and he did what any self-respecting, ruthless vampire would do when his mate had made him proud. He bent over and threw her over his shoulder, one arm across the back of her knees to keep her in position.

"Damon!" she screeched.

"Yes, darling," he drawled as he began to make his way out of the arena, the sound of cheering, wolf-whistles and applause accompanying them.

"Put me down this instant," he heard her huff. He just chuckled and slapped her ass.

"Ooooh," he heard the irritation in her voice, "put me down now or…"

"Or what?" he cut her off.

"Or I'll vervain you if you don't move your ass faster because I need to feel you inside me, now," she said on a groan. Damon's eyes widened in surprise and he was soon moving at vampire speed, until he was marching through the doors of their suite and throwing her down on the bed.

She was up in seconds, facing him, hooking a foot around his ankle, pushing him over until he fell flat on his back, bouncing gently on the mattress. Then she was on top of him, ripping at his shirt, her lips kissing a trail of fire over the skin she revealed. She finally managed to get his shirt off him and attacked him again, this time biting down hard.

"Fuck, that hurts," Damon hissed out. Syn looked at him, a wild look in her eye, her tongue licking drops of blood off her lips. His blood. He groaned again. She hadn't even extended her fangs, yet she had still drawn blood.

"Do you want me to stop?" she asked.

"Hell no!" Damon groaned as she swooped down and clamped down on his flesh again. She sank her teeth in his skin around his nipple while using her tongue to stimulate the little nub until Damon was arching off the bed. It was pain that magnified the pleasure and he was torn between throwing her flat on her back and fucking her senseless or holding her to him and letting her have her way.

Suddenly, when he tried to move, he found that he couldn't. "What the hell's going on?" he snarled, his eyes narrowing, his fangs out. Syn raised her head, staring at him with her hair falling over her face onto his chest, her green eyes almost glowing, her lips curled into a wicked smirk that made Damon shudder.

"It's time to play my way," she said in a low, husky tone that made him tingle in all the right places. And some of the wrong ones too.

"What exactly does that mean?" he asked suspiciously, not entirely sure he liked this scenario or any scenario that involved him being restrained.

"It means," she purred as she rose from the bed, "I've decided tonight is going to be all about you."


	19. Chapter 18

With one sweep of Syn's hand, the room was bathed in darkness. It seemed pitch black, like thick oil that even Damon, with his enhanced senses, couldn't see through. He gritted his teeth, trying to keep the apprehension at bay as his eyes flitted around, unaccustomed to being in such complete, total and utter darkness. The inability to free his wrists was also getting to him.

Suddenly, with a flash and a strange tinkling sound, small spheres of soft golden light, no bigger than a pea, appeared, floating in midair. They surrounded the bed, casting a soft golden glow of light over him. He strained to see into the darkness to find Syn but he couldn't. He could also hear music playing softly and it was Syn all the way. Metallica's Nothing Else Matters could be heard, though he had no idea where it was coming from.

"You have a choice," she said, her voice gravelly and erotic, rolling over his body, making his hair stand up as it caressed his body. "You can turn over and lie face down by yourself or I can do it for you."

Considering his cock was already rock hard, he didn't think he could actually lie face down, even if he wanted to. He was still a bit apprehensive about being in such a weak position, even if this was Syn they were talking about.

"It's your choice Damon," she said softly, when he hadn't made a move. "Of course, the more you cooperate, the better your chances are of touching me."

Damon's first thought was that he could touch her anyway. But then she stepped into the light and he almost swallowed his tongue as he pulled desperately against the invisible restraints. She looked like something out of a dream. Her hair flowed over her chest, covering her breasts, and down her back. Every inch of her skin seemed covered in stardust, shimmering in the soft light, with what appeared to be diamonds forming a complicated tribal design, from her chest down to her feet, as they sparkled brightly.

The tattoo that usually graced her face when she shifted fully was present, except it shimmered, the color of mother of pearl. Her black wings seemed to glow as she opened them out, arching her back, seemingly enjoying the stretch greatly. Her eyes, instead of the red he had seen them turn, literally glowed silver, almost like the diamonds that adorned her body.

_Fuck, she's beautiful. No, beautiful isn't the right word. She's out of this world and I have no idea what the fuck she's doing here. _"You're amazing," he whispered.

Syn smiled down at him. "You're not so bad yourself," she replied with a small wink. She held a hand out, palm up, and a small, glass bottle with a stopper appeared in it. The bottle held a golden liquid and when Syn pulled out the stopper, the smell that assailed Damon's nostrils kicked his arousal into overdrive. She lifted it to her nose and let her head fall back with a moan.

She tipped the bottle, allowing a drop of the oily fluid to land on a fingertip. Rubbing thumb against finger, working the oil into her skin, she groaned. "This is lymp'ran oil. It is highly expensive and highly coveted because it magnifies sensation. The rumor is that it amplifies every touch, every kiss, and every lick at least tenfold," she was saying softly. Damon's breathing was ragged, his eyes at half-mast and his cock swelled and lengthened with the blinding hunger that was his constant companion whenever she was around. "I can tell you, from experience, that it's a lie," she continued. "It's more like a hundredfold."

Damon started to growl and struggle in his restraints. He couldn't give a fuck about the oil. He needed to touch her, to feel that silky skin beneath his fingertips, to lick every velvety inch of her, to taste her cream and see if she was as sweet as he remembered. She was positively ethereal, almost untouchable and he had to touch her, if only to prove to himself she was real and not a figment of his imagination.

"Syn, let me go," he whispered harshly.

"Oh no, lover. Our deal was either I turn you over or you do it yourself. So, I suggest you decide now because I'm rather tired of waiting."

"Fine, I'll turn over," Damon said with a growl. No way was he letting her force him over. At least this way he still had some dignity. Once he was lying on his front, after wiggling his hips and finally having to use his hand to position his erection so he could actually lie down, he found himself spread-eagled and shackled to the bed. He tested the restraints, pulling against them with all his strength but they wouldn't budge.

Syn's husky laughter rolled over him like champagne, sweet and tingling but with a sharp bite to remind him who and what she was. He tried to contain a shudder. "Did you actually believe I would restrain you with something that you could break? Sorry, these you won't be able to break," she said as she straddled him, her sex heating the skin at the small of his back, making him shudder in need. It seemed he had lost all his clothes at some point, though he couldn't say he minded.

He turned his head to the side, trying to look over his shoulder at what she was doing. She had picked up the little bottle of oil and dribbled it over his back; the liquid surprisingly cold as it hit his skin only to turn into fire as it slowly ran down his back, making the need to arch his back overwhelming.

He looked over his shoulder, his nostrils flaring, his tongue coming out to wet his lips that had suddenly become dry. He watched as she dripped a few more drops into her palms, rubbing her hands together, until they glowed with unnatural light, a soft red. Surprised his eyes snapped to hers but the hunger in her gaze hit him like a ton of bricks, right in the gut, and he could feel the fiery fingers of lust grab hold of his cock and stroke him to a feverish pitch. He was done for. She hadn't even touched him properly and he was ready to explode.

She laid her palms on his back and with a gentle touch, almost like a feather, she spread the oil all over his skin. A soft moan escaped Damon's lips, much to his annoyance. He sounded like a wimp when he should be showing his woman what it meant to be his. But _HELL!_ The woman was a damn menace. She turned him into a mushy moron with a single touch but this? This was indescribable.

The heat of her palms and the tiny zings of electricity jumping all over her skin combined with the oil flowed into him, relaxing muscles as she went but turning his need, this blinding carnal hunger he had for her from the constant smoldering that was with him all the time to a raging, blazing inferno he couldn't deny. Everywhere she touched, she lit a fire of need that trailed in the wake of her fingertips. He wanted to beg for more, was desperate to feel the touch of her skin on his. It was as if he was flying and then crashing in a burst of adrenaline only to start all over again in a cycle that was driving him insane.

"You're so beautiful," Syn whispered huskily, as she traced his back, enjoying the play of rigid muscles as they jumped in reaction to her touch. She placed her hands sideways, either side of his spine, her thumbs pointing down and then pressed, dragging her hands towards the base of his spine. She watched his fists clench, knowing he was hanging on to the last threads of his control.

"I could touch you forever," she murmured. She knew what she was doing to him. She was forcing him to show her the softer side of himself, and she knew it was the last thing he wanted. She knew him better than he knew himself and that's because she had been where he was now. She had thought showing softness meant being weak. Unlike him, though, she had always had someone to love and support her so she had learned.

Damon, though, had always been alone and whenever he'd allowed himself to feel, he had gotten the short end of the stick. So, it was better not to feel or, since she knew better, to hide those feelings, bury them down so deep even he could deny their existence. No, weakness was something he despised, something he would never show. And feelings were a weakness, especially when those feelings changed his perception of his entire life in less than a moment because they might just not be for Elena.

She continued touching him softly, working the muscles along his back, moving to his shoulders, one at a time, pressing her thumbs into the rigid flesh, smoothing out knots, relieving the tension even when he tried to hold onto it. When she was satisfied she had worked out all the knots she moved on to his other shoulder, continuing to work down his back, her thumbs smoothing back and forth, pressing deeply until Damon was desperate, his body trembling and shuddering every time she touched him.

Damon knew if he handed himself over to her, she'd take him, consume him and there would be nothing left of him. His soul would be hers to do with as she wished because every touch, every whisper curled around inside him and took away another piece of his soul, returning it to her as if that's where it belonged. But vampire or no, he was still a man and this was pure torture. So much pleasure and sensation without being able to touch her.

When he lost the heat of her body, a part of him sighed in relief that he wouldn't be reduced to begging. Then there was the primal, feral side of him that wanted to rip the manacles off, grab hold of her and fuck her senseless until she understood clearly that her hot little pussy, which was creaming for him right now, belonged to him and no one else. Fuck! He wanted to rip those fucking manacles off and force her to submit to him. She'd fight him every damn step of the way and it would be fucking amazing. If. He. Ever. Got. Fucking. Free. He thought with a snarl.

He felt oil dribble over his buttocks, down the backs of his thighs, knees and calves down to the soles of his feet. Then her hot hands picked up one of his feet as she used both thumbs to massage the sole of his foot, moving up the heel and coming back to work each toe. Damon was groaning and fisting his hands in the sheets, pulling at the manacles in his desire to touch her, even though he didn't want her to ever stop.

_Fuck, who'd have thought feet could be so sensitive._

She moved up to his calf, massaging his flesh, using her thumbs to press deeply, smoothing out any knots, softening the muscles. She continued further, paying as much attention to the back of his thigh. She almost laughed when he spread his thighs in subtle invitation. She grinned wickedly.

"Not yet, lover," she purred.

"Fucking wicked tease," he growled at her raggedly.

"I'm only a tease if I don't intend to follow through," she said softly as she leaned forward. "And trust me baby, I'm going all the way and beyond," she purred, her breath tickling his ear.

She moved back and continued to massage his thigh, moving to the inside and working up until her knuckles just grazed his balls. He groaned loudly as his hips jerked from the contact.

She moved around the bed and began work on the other foot, moving up to his calf and then his thigh, teasingly grazing his balls again. She moved up to his arms, massaging each one until he was completely limp. Then, she returned to the small of his back and his buttocks, where she took extra special care, adding a little more of the lymp'ran oil.

She massaged each buttock individually, working her thumbs in deep, while she kneaded the hard flesh until Damon started to thrust, desperate for some friction against his cock. He couldn't take this torture anymore so with each thrust, he rubbed his cock against the bed sheets and he was so close. So damn close. But then she had to say it.

"Unh, unh," she said while shaking her finger. "Who said you could do that?" the woman who was a major pain in the ass right now asked. He tried to still his body, his needs, his desire and was successful for all of one minute. In that minute, she had given him the most amazing massage, while her thumbs slid discreetly between his cheeks. On the first pass, he didn't react and she was glad. On the second pass, which was slightly deeper, he moaned softly, pushing his ass up further into the air. Past pretending, she used a finger to trace the muscles guarding his rear entrance, fascinated by his reaction, which was to moan even louder and press back against her finger.

"Have you taken it here before, baby?" she asked softly, excitement bubbling in her blood. He shook his head, though. "Do you want to? Do you want to take a finger in there while someone stimulates that lovely gland you have while you fuck someone's pussy or ass?" he was asked. He felt the lid he had kept on his deepest, darkest desires crash open and every dark fantasy he had ever entertained, every little thing he had ever done that Elena would consider depraved and perverted crashed into him.

"Fuck yes, but only if it's you," he managed to gasp as she circled his anal entrance again. She drew back, much to his consternation. Yeah, even if it meant he died, he wanted to go out in style, while enjoying himself.

"Turn over, Damon," she said softly.

This was his chance to get free. She'd released him because he couldn't turn otherwise, so he turned over slowly, his body coiled, ready to pounce on her like the predator he was. But before he could do anything, she was already straddling him and pushing him backwards. His mind came to a crashing halt and his entire focus came down to her lips that were a hairsbreadth from his. Before he knew it, he was shackled again and she was grinning at him wickedly as she rubbed her pussy along his stomach, leaving a trail of juices, though very careful not to even brush against his tortured cock.

"You want to mark me? I'll fucking mark you," she said with a hiss, leaning forward and licking him from the tip of his chin, over his lips, over his nose and right to his hairline. He trembled beneath her, both irritated and excited by the fact that she was basically claiming ownership of him.

Then, much to his great annoyance, she got off him and stood. Armed with the bottle of lymp'ran, she walked to the foot of the bed and trickled some over each of his legs. She stopped the bottle and put it back on the bed. Starting with one foot, she massaged it gently, working each toe separately. She leaned over and sucked his big toe into her mouth, gently swirling her tongue around it. He moaned loudly, amazed that his big toe seemed to be connected to his cock, because he could feel each swipe of her tongue over his toe as if it was over cock. He could feel himself throbbing, growing harder and harder, the veins along his shaft pulsing in need and desperation.

"The taste of lymp'ran and you is quite arousing," she purred to him, making him shiver.

_Fuck, the things she says and that voice of hers… I could come just from listening to her read the phone book._

"Syn, I can't take much more of this," he rasped. He was so close. So very close to exploding. She had been working him over so well and the buildup had been so gradual, he hadn't noticed it. But right now, if she so much as breathed on his cock - hell, if she just looked at his cock - he was going to come. And he was going to come hard and fast.

"Oh, but baby," she said with a small pout. "You'll have to because I'm not going to let you come yet."

"Good luck with that. I'm so close that a breeze will get me off," he said, his voice hoarse due to her continued ministrations. Her hands had now moved up to his thigh. So close to where he really needed her yet so far. It was fucking torture!

"I can do it with a little pain, by pinching the base of your cock," she said thoughtfully. "Or I can use my powers. But I think I'll go with a little pain today. I know exactly how much pain can heighten pleasure, especially when someone knows how to apply it properly. What do you think Damon? Does the slight sting of fangs entering your body make you come harder? Does the rake of a lover's fingernails across your back excite you? Did you enjoy the sting of pain that accompanied our lovemaking last night? Did you come harder knowing that I was enjoying our fight just as much as you? Would you come harder knowing that I'm soaking wet at the thought of you tying me up and make me come with just your hand spanking my ass?"

Fuck! She was turning him into a mindless, lust-crazed beast. He couldn't think. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't talk. He could see nothing, hear nothing, feel nothing except her. She had become the target and he was going to get to her, one way or another.

And all the while she simply continued with what she was doing, taking no notice of him. She had moved to his other leg and was just finishing with his thigh. Again she picked up the bottle of oil and dripped some of it across his chest and down over his abdomen. He held his breath, hoping she'd straddle him.

Unfortunately, it wasn't his lucky day. While Syn would have wanted nothing better than to straddle him and feel that rock hard flesh between her thighs, she knew she wouldn't be able to say no with him so close to her. He thought it was tough for him? It was just as hard for her, trying to keep away from that cock that had liquid heat pooling in her loins if only she thought about it. But she was determined to make this night one Damon would never forget, no matter what happened.

Her decision had been spontaneous and very sudden. A cold shiver of premonition had run through her while Damon had carried her to their room. Something bad was going to happen and it was going to change things. And it wasn't going to be for the better. That premonition had compelled her to create an evening, a night Damon would never forget. Maybe, this way, he'd never forget her because she had the feeling they weren't going to see each other for a very long time.

Zarek might call her melodramatic but her mother would tell her to listen to her instincts and do as her heart commanded. They were Tuathan, after all, and their instincts were near-damn perfect. So, now she used the lymp'ran, her hands and powers to delight all of Damon's senses. To show him the beauty she could create, not just the death and carnage, to make him feel the pleasure she could offer with her hands, to teach him and show him another side of her. A side he might want to remember, at least for a little while, before she faded away among the memories.

Returning to the task at hand, she started working on his neck, thumbs digging in either side, smoothing back and forth until Damon's head fell back further, asking her not to stop. She moved to his collarbone and down to his pectorals, again thumbs and fingers digging in to smooth away the knots left behind by stress and tension. Instead of avoiding his nipples, which were hard nubs straining up to be touched, she raked her nails lightly across them, drawing a groan from Damon's already parted lips.

By the stars, he was so beautiful. A masterpiece of male flesh, beautiful yet decidedly masculine. No one would ever look at Damon Salvatore and think anything except Alpha male. An Alpha male she was currently torturing and who was submitting to her whims. He thought her stronger than he was but if he only knew. One touch from him and she melted instantly. All he had to do was withhold his touch and she'd do anything and everything for him.

"Syn…" he half-moaned, half-growled in warning.

"What is it darling?" she asked.

"Stop fucking around and touch me," he growled, his voice carrying a hint of steel.

"But I am touching you," Syn stated in feigned surprise, playing the game a little longer even though his commanding tone had her clit throbbing in anticipation, her channel gripping at empty air, needing him to fill her.

"Stop playing around. Put your hand or your mouth on my cock, right fucking now!" he snarled at her. "Better yet, let me the fuck go and I'll show you exactly what I want." His face showed his intentions clearly and no words were necessary. He was going to fuck her through the mattress and Syn couldn't wait.

"Mmmm, not just yet, sweetheart," she purred to him as her hands slid lower down, working on his abdomen, baiting the coiled, angry predator beneath her. She leaned over to swirl her tongue in his navel and his hips lifted off the bed in reaction to the close proximity of her mouth to his very erect and very desperate cock.

"You are playing a dangerous game," his voice came out hoarse but the warning was no less clear. He could feel the darkness starting to rise up inside him. That dark side that he had to keep hidden around Elena and his brother but the side he was starting to figure out Syn could handle. "I'm going to get free and I'm going to paddle your ass until it's bright pink and your juices are running down your thigh. Then I'm going to tongue-fuck you until you come over and over again in my mouth. And that's just going to be the appetizer," he hissed in warning.

Syn gasped and nearly came then and there. She had been trying to get Damon to lose control, to give in and show all of himself yet he had smoothly turned the tables on her with a few words and now she was about to lose control. The only thing stopping her from straddling him and impaling herself on that amazing cock of his was that it would be over too quickly. And she didn't want to be just another fuck he sort of remembered down the line. Another warm body filling in for Elena. So, she steeled herself, trying to take back control of herself, even if it was only an illusion, and continued with her plan, which didn't include giving in to him.

Damon snarled at her when she moved away from his cock with a wicked grin and started working on his hands. It was a strange combination. He was relaxed, floating on a cloud of delicious sensation, but at the same time he was as rigid and tense as a board, desperate for her attention. When she sucked each of his fingers into the hot cavern of her mouth, swirling her tongue around them, he almost cried out, choking the sound back so it sounded as if someone was trying to strangle a cat.

"Naughty, naughty boy," she admonished him. "I like hearing you. I like listening to your moans, your whimpers, your growls and I just love it when you roar. And I'll let you in on a little secret. It makes me so hot when you try and order me around. When you go all Alpha, dominating male on me I could melt into a puddle of lust," she purred to him, her voice like velvet, rubbing over him, teasing him, tormenting him.

"Fuck woman, you're trying to kill me, right?" he croaked. _She can't be real. Hell no! There is no way she can be real._

She grinned at him wickedly and his breath caught. One moment, she was holding his hand, the next she was between his knees, looming over him. In seconds, she was on him, his cock engulfed by the velvety wetness of her mouth as she sucked hard. His body jerked as pleasure tore through every cell in his body. And it wasn't gentle or soft, it was explosive, brutal, vicious, just like Syn could be and he felt his lips draw back in a snarl, putting his fangs on display.

He was going to come. He knew it and there wasn't a fucking thing he could do about it. His come was going to shoot out of the head of his cock and flood her mouth as he experienced the savage satisfaction of marking her in some way or other. But before he could even formulate the idea that he was close, so close to coming, she gripped the base of his cock with her thumb and forefinger, pressing hard. The bite of pain made the impending climax subside but, as Syn had predicted, the sting of pain seemed to loosen the tight rein of control he had held over his darker desires, his darker needs.

His body was a mix of contradictions. He was relaxed and calm, the impending risk of climax having been averted. Yet, at the same time, he was still so hard, his every cell on fire with need, lust and desire, his cock dark red and angry, weeping precum, demanding its right to fuck its mate. And these fucked up, polar opposite moods were going to rip him apart. He was about to go fucking nuts.

Syn picked up the oil and Damon held his breath. She dribbled it over his cock and used her hands to massage it in, fisting them one over the other, creating a hot, slippery channel that had his hips jerking and pumping involuntarily. It was like fucking liquid fire and his brain was about to short circuit. When her thumb ran over his sensitive head, mixing his precum with the oil, he cried out, unable to hold the sound back any longer.

When she replaced her thumb with her tongue, he lifted his hips off the bed, demanding more. When she ignored him he finally broke, "Syn, please. Fuck baby, please… I need more," he chanted. _Fuck, fuck, fuck, what the hell was she doing to him?_

She took one hand away, letting him push his cock deeper into her mouth. He moaned in gratitude. She was going to push him over the edge, make him lose the last few threads of sanity he had been hanging on to and that fucking oil was not helping him. Her talented tongue and mouth in combination with that oil would have killed a lesser man. Fuck, it was about to kill _him_.

_But what a fucking way to go,_ he thought with a grin. The thought fled, though, when she sucked him into her mouth, hard and fast, taking him all the way in to the back of her throat, her lips kissing the skin at the base of his cock. She swallowed, her strong throat muscles clamping down and massaging his ultrasensitive head. A roar was ripped from his chest as painful pleasure speared down his shaft, coiling in his balls, until it tightened and exploded through the rest of his body, zinging from one nerve ending to the other until everything faded into nothingness and his entire being was focused in one point, the head of his cock down Syn's throat.

"Shit, baby, that's so fucking good," he growled, his hips pumping and thrusting, wanting, needing more. His hands were holding on to the chains connected to the bed as he forced himself to look up, to watch Syn's beautiful lips wrapped around his cock. The sight was enough to destroy him. She was literally worshipping his body, had been doing so all evening, and she was enjoying it. If he'd learned one thing about her, she never hid her true intentions or desires. She didn't pretend. At least not with him.

He wasn't deluding himself that she was some paragon of virtue but with him, she had never pretended. And, for once in his life, it was fucking good to know that he didn't have to second-guess her, to know that she meant what she said and didn't have a hidden agenda, to know where he stood with her. And then she moaned around his cock and looked up at him and all coherent thought fled, his entire world being reduced to the sparkling emerald gaze that told him she wanted to devour him whole.

Syn needed to look at him, to see his reactions, watch his face as it twisted and grimaced in pleasure and so her gaze locked with his, with pale blue diamonds that glittered in the soft light. Diamonds, she mused. Just like him, hard and strong yet with an inner fire that was burning her up and if she wasn't careful she might end up nothing more than a pile of ash.

Damon couldn't take it anymore and felt his balls tightening, his seed readying to burst out of his body at lightning speed in what promised to be a savage release that was liable to kill him.

"Tut, tut," she admonished. "I didn't say you could come yet."

He snarled angrily at her when she delayed his second orgasm, with the 'pinch of death'. He was going to have a long, hard and fucking painful talk with whoever had taught her that move.

"You're a little bitch, you know that?" he growled at her when she stopped touching his cock and moved back to his chest. He was desperate for release. In fact, he wanted to come so badly it fucking hurt. But Syn just took her time, caressing his body and legs until he wasn't so close to the edge anymore.

"Do you want to come baby?" she purred and he wondered if she'd lost her mind completely.

"Fucking desperately," he ground out hoarsely.

"I think I'll let you come this time," she said sultrily and he felt the coil begin to tighten again, savagely, viciously, his erection demanding release. "Maybe. Then again, maybe not," she continued her thought.

Damon scowled at her, a growl rumbling out of his chest. "Payback's a bitch," he said in warning.

Syn simply smiled wickedly at him, her tongue peeping out to trace those luscious pink lips. "I can't wait," she breathed and Damon's jaw tightened as he desperately pulled at his manacles again.

_The woman is pure, unadulterated evil! There isn't a compassionate bone in that sinful, delectable body! She's a fucking bitch from the deepest pits of hell! And I'm never fucking letting her go!_

She lowered her head, touching his cock with only the tip of her tongue, swirling it around the head, licking it as if she were licking an ice cream cone. Damon was moaning, his voice hoarse from expressing himself all evening. It felt so damn good. It shouldn't… couldn't feel this amazing and yet it did.

His hips jerked hard when she licked that small, extremely sensitive spot right behind the head of his cock.

"Fuck!" he ground out. "Christ, that's it! Right there! Don't you fucking stop!" he snarled at her, terrified that she'd abandon him again. She lifted her head and smiled at wickedly at him. He felt like crying and beating the crap out of someone at the same time. "Syn, don't play with me anymore! I need to come!"

"Mmm, I'll think about it," she said with a wink as she opened up her wings and used them to trail along his legs, behind her. He shivered at the contact, especially when she moaned as well.

_Sensitive wings. Need to remember that, _he thought to himself.

"I've thought about it," she replied. He lifted his head, looking at her, his eyes flashing in warning, his lips pulled back in a menacing snarl. "I love it when you get all dominant like that," she said and when she smiled wickedly, Damon thought he was royally fucked.

But she swooped down and literally blew his mind. He'd never seen let alone felt such precision, hitting the exact right spots, at the same time with the right pressure. He was surprised he'd even managed that coherent thought when he felt his cock sucked down into her throat, one hand holding his balls, massaging them a little tighter than a woman normally would but just how he liked it. Her other hand had ideas of its own, with one finger entering his rear entrance until she located the small bump of his prostate and began to massage it while her thumb pressed against the skin between his scrotum and anus, providing stimulation for that sensitive gland from two directions.

Damon began to shake, his hips bucking up, his hands tight on the chains of the manacles. The slow buildup, the teasing touches, the delayed satisfaction all came crashing together and detonated every cell in his body. Everything went white and bursts of color exploded behind his eyelids like mini supernovas as his orgasm hit him, his blood roaring in his ears, his seed pouring out of his dick like lava, straight into her waiting mouth, ripping a roar from his chest as his face shifted. The pleasure crashed through his body, zapping from cell to cell, amplifying as it went along until he was a mass of tingling sparks with absolutely no control over his body. All he could do was shake and beg for more, beg her to stop.

_Hell, I have no fucking clue what I want. I just need her._

All he could do was watch as she drank him down with soft moans. And then she grazed his cock with her fangs on one side and tongue on the other, ripping another orgasm from him that left him trembling like a leaf. The pleasure, the pain, the danger all swirled around creating one heady mix that had managed to coax another release from him mere moments after the first cataclysmic one.

Suddenly, he realized three very important things. One, his hands were free, probably having broken the chains during his monstrous orgasm. Two, he was still hard as a rock. And, more importantly, three, Syn was wet and horny as fuck if his nose hadn't deserted him. The only shitty thing was that his legs were still tied. But he could still do a lot of damage, he thought with a menacing grin.

Before she could utter a word, he sat up, grabbed her by the waist, lifted her and lay back down, positioning her so she straddled his face. He took a deep breath and moaned.

"Fuck baby, you smell so good, and…" he paused as he swiped his tongue between her puffy, glistening pink folds drawing a whimper from her as she grabbed on to the headboard with one hand to steady herself, "you taste fucking amazing." He dipped his tongue again into the luscious cream between her thighs and growled possessively. She was a damn aphrodisiac and she was all his. She was all he needed.

He swirled his tongue around her clit, then flattened it and pulled it over the little nub from back to front, pulling back the hood so he was hitting the most sensitive area. Syn was already screaming and writhing on top of him.

"Yes, Damon… Shit, that feels so good baby," Syn moaned, her hips rotating over his face, begging for more. So he gave her more. He stabbed his tongue into her entrance, going as deep as he could. He then dragged it out and up, over her clit. He pulled her down lower so he could suck that fascinating little bundle in between his lips, feeling it harden and grow as more blood rushed to it. Soon, she was chanting his name, begging for release.

He wanted to pay her back. He so fucking wanted to but he didn't have the patience to do it. Not right now anyway. He wanted to taste her come, he wanted her to fall apart and gush that honey of hers right into his mouth. And he wanted it now! But there'd be plenty of time for revenge, he thought with an evil grin.

Damon grabbed her hips tightly and attacked her clit with a vengeance, sucking, nibbling, his tongue flicking faster and faster until Syn let out a long, keening cry. Her legs were trembling, her pussy was gushing, desperate for more. She was so turned on from torturing him and having him come in her mouth that she knew she wouldn't last. She could already feel the pounding lust tightening every muscle in her body, the telltale tingling starting in her clit and her lower belly. Suddenly, she was falling over the precipice, her climax drawing a scream from her lips as it crashed like a tsunami through her body, every last muscle trembling, turning into liquid heat.

Damon moaned underneath her as her cream flooded his mouth. He lapped at her, swirling his tongue inside her channel, coaxing out every last drop. God, he couldn't get enough of her taste. He'd happily lick and suck at her all night just to drink her down. And her screams and moans had fired his blood, rekindling the inferno of need and insane hunger that he was quickly realizing would be a permanent part of him where she was concerned. His cock was hard as nails, the head dark red and weeping precum, desperate for her and he had only so much control, which she had stubbornly been testing and attempting to break all night.

Just when Syn thought her orgasm was winding down, he picked her up by the waist and slammed her down on his cock, impaling her in one long, powerful thrust, drawing another scream from her. Damon growled at how tight Syn was, her channel pulsing around his cock, gripping him like a vise until he was almost delirious with need.

"I'm going to fuck you raw," he snarled at her, his hips lifting off the bed until only his shoulders and feet provided support and Syn was suspended in midair. He used the added leverage to drive himself into her hard and fast, the tight grip on her hips ensuring she couldn't get away.

Syn threw her head back and screamed at the sensations. He still had lymp'ran on his cock and he spread it to her channel as he entered her. All her sensations were magnified and she was going insane.

"Please," she mewled as she started to ride him, hard and fast. "Please, I need more," she screamed.

"Let me go," he growled at her and he was suddenly free. He flipped her over onto her back, shoved a pillow under her ass, and took a deep breath. He loomed over her, teasing her with his cock as he rubbed it between her drenched folds, his jaw locked as he attempted to hold himself back. Her hips were undulating and she was trying to capture his cock, so he gave her a hard swat across the side of her ass.

"Bad girls have to wait," he murmured huskily, his voice washing over her like the finest whisky, setting a blaze across her skin that made her desperate.

"Please," she begged. "I need you inside me."

Damon gritted his teeth. He couldn't give in, not just yet. A little longer. Just a little fucking longer and then she'd get what she wanted. They both would. So, with a locked jaw he started pushing into her tight sheath, going slowly, ever so slowly.

Syn didn't know whether to cry in frustration or scream. He was moving so slowly and any attempt to draw him in met with failure as he simply pulled back. But this slow penetration allowed her to feel every vein and every texture on his engorged cock as they pulsed and throbbed against her sensitive channel. It was amazing but she needed more, damn it!

"Damon!" she growled at him. "Fuck me hard and fast! I need you!"

She screamed in frustration when Damon ignored her and he almost laughed. But the narrowing of her eyes and the calculating gleam he saw in those emerald depths started to worry him, his body tensing in apprehension. His speed remained constant, though, inching forward with the speed of a snail. And then she startled him when her fangs descended and she struck on two fronts, sinking her fangs into his shoulder and tightening her sheath around him so hard he was seeing stars. And that's when his rigid control snapped and he slammed into her, snarling against her ear as she drank him down, her hips slamming into his as her legs entwined around his waist.

He felt so fucking good inside her and he tasted amazing, she thought with a delighted groan. The combination of his cock pounding inside her and the taste of him rolling over her tongue almost made her eyes roll back. Her hands shot out, pushing against the headboard, so she stopped moving away from his assault on her body.

Her body pulsed with sensation, her clit throbbing desperately, begging for release, for something to snap the coil that was being wound tighter and tighter in her body. Every slap of his pelvic bone crushed her clit, making her cry out in satisfaction and desperation. She needed more, she needed all of him. She could feel it building, throbbing, making her tremble. She was so close. So fucking close.

"Harder," she moaned. "Please Damon, I need it. I need you harder and faster, I'm so close." And Damon complied, angling his hips, making sure he hit her G-spot every time, slamming into her, gritting his teeth to hold back his own release. He slipped his hand between them and squeezed her clit between thumb and forefinger, just shy of causing pain, and sank his fangs into her neck.

Syn screamed like a banshee as she splintered, her orgasm ripping through her body, setting her nerve endings on fire, making her vision black out, her pussy convulsing, tightening to the point of pain before releasing. And then she felt the gush of cream as she ejaculated, her body trembling as brutal spasms rocked her body.

"God, baby," Damon ground out, "you're coming all over me and it's so fucking hot!" He continued to ram his cock into her spasming sheath and he couldn't hold back any longer. He came with a resounding roar, his hips jerking against her as he stilled while his released ripped through him for the third time that night. Once he could see and breathe again, he looked down at Syn and smirked at her. "I want to make you do it again," he said with a purr and Syn moaned.

_Yup,_ she thought to herself, _I'm officially screwed. No way I'm getting him out of my system. Hi, my name's Syn and I'm a Damon-oholic_, she thought to herself with a chuckle. At his questioning gaze, she simply turned over in his arms and kissed him senseless. "Take me back to heaven, baby," she purred to him and that's exactly what he did. Six more times until they were both close to passing out.

They fell asleep holding each other, both content for the first time in many years. As he drifted off to sleep, Damon realized he'd forgotten all about Elena. He gave a mental shrug. She could wait, he thought as he sniffed Syn and pulled her closer to him. Syn was already deeply asleep and she mumbled his name in her sleep as she curled around him almost protectively. He smoothed her hair back from her face and looked at her in wonder. He allowed himself to feel for once. To accept what was happening. "Thank you for being you," he whispered before he drifted into the world of dreams.


End file.
